NO.121
T H E T R U S T Y S E RVA N T
Obituary
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email to [email protected], telephone +44 (0)1962 621217 or by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the Director, 73 Kingsgate
Street, Winchester SO23 9PE. ‘Obit’ indicates that a copy of some other tribute is also available.
John Richard Manley (Co Ro, 78-98): died
5.9.2015. Father of ODM (A, 88-91).
Educated at Newcastle Royal Grammar
School and Birmingham University, PPE.
Before coming to Winchester he first
worked with the Economist Intelligence
Unit, ending up as Senior Consultant
Economist with Coopers and Lybrand. In
1977 he decided to change careers and
went to London Institute of Education for
his PGCE. He came to Winchester in 1978
first to teach a Junior Maths div. He loved
the ability to teach History in the Div
system. He will be remembered by many for
his time as Under Master 1982-87 when he
worked tirelessly to bring up to date and
innovate the academic life of the school.
After a year as Director of Studies in 1988,
he became Housemaster of Freddie’s 198998, where his particular stand against
bullying was appreciated by the men in the
House. On retirement he moved to France
where he designed and built a guest
apartment. Married (1) Valerie Burgess
(marriage dissolved) (2) 1976 Anne
Sylvester, who survives him with a
daughter and a son.
Geoffrey Richard Venning (Coll, 34-39):
died 10.2.2016 aged 94. Father of MCV
(Coll, 62-65). He was born in Uttar
Pradesh in India. VI. Scholarship, New
College, Oxford, Nat Sci War BA 1941.
Radcliffe Prize 1943. BM, BCh 1944. OU
Squash Rackets 1942-43. Commissioned
RAMC 1944, with whom he served with
18th Indian Parachute Mobile Surgical
Unit in India. After VJ Day he parachuted
with four soldiers to reoccupy Changi
Prison from the Japanese. He supervised
the transfer of patients to Singapore and
then later was moved to Ratnapura
Government Hospital in Ceylon.
Demobbed as Captain 1947. He joined the
TA to augment his pay and was a
Lieutenant Colonel until 1958. Registrar,
West Middlesex Hospital and then the
youngest senior registrar in the country at
Cardiff Royal Infirmary 1949-50. First
Assistant to Professor of Medicine,
Manchester 1953. Medical Director and
Scientific Adviser, GD Searle & Co Ltd
1958-73. He pioneered first contraceptive
pill and visited the governments of India,
Mexico, Egypt and Thailand to encourage
the pill to be used for population control.
Vice President Scientific Affairs, Searle
International 1973-79. Senior Medical
Officer, DHSS Medicines Division 197982. Vice President Janssen Pharmaceutica
and Director of R & D (UK) 1982-85.
Director, Pharmaceutical Services Ltd
1987. He loved golf, getting his handicap
down to 5. A colleague from Moscow rang
to say, ‘In our church we say that he will
take 40 days to find his place in the
universe. We will pray for Geoff for those
40 days.’ He is survived by Ruth, his wife of
71 years, and their son and two daughters,
11 grandchildren and 6 great
grandchildren.
Kenneth Robert Comyn Pridham (Coll,
36-40): died 15.11.2015 aged 93. Bib Prae,
Vere Herbert Smith Prize. Scholarship,
Oriel College, Oxford 1941. Commissioned
KRRC 1942. He subsequently served with
2/5 Leicestershire Regiment in Italy
(Mentioned in Despatches), Palestine,
Syria and Greece, and finally in Austria.
Demobbed 1946. He returned to Oriel
College to complete his History War
Degree. MA 1948. He then entered the
Foreign Office, being posted first to Berlin
in 1946. He subsequently served in
Washington, Belgrade, Copenhagen and
finally as Ambassador to Poland at the time
of Lech Walesa’s revolt. He was appointed
CMG in 1976. Married 1965 Rosalind
Woodward (died 2011).
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Edward Michael Pilkington (E, 37-42): died
10.6.2015 aged 91. VIII 1942. Trinity
College, Cambridge, RAF Short Course
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