N o .125
The Western Front Way: the body of
Alexander Douglas Gillespie (Coll,
1903-08) was lost in the fields of
Flanders but his vision will soon be
etched in that same landscape. The
idea, to convert the deadly line of ‘No
Man’s Land’ into a beautiful path for
T he T rusty S ervant
peace and contemplation, was formed
in a letter to Monty Rendall. ADG
won medals in Latin verse, Greek prose
and English speech before going up to
New College Oxford in 1908. There he
read classics and was called to the Bar.
Once war broke out, he signed up with
the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
and went out to the front in February
1915. By then, his brother and fellow
Wykehamist Tom had already been
killed. In the letter to Rendall, ADG
describes how this death, among so many
others, makes the very fields sacred: the
foundation for the imaginative leap to
create ‘a fine broad road between the
lines with trees for shade…I would like to send every man, woman and child
in Western Europe on pilgrimage along
that Via Sacra.’ ADG fell in September
1915 at the Battle of Loos. In the second
century of remembrance, we need a big
idea to engage a new generation - ADG
gives us that idea. The team behind the
Western Front Way believe a 450 mile
path, from Switzerland to the Channel,
for peace, exercise, education and
friendship, will keep remembrance alive.
The Western Front Way was conceived
by a Wykehamist, sent to a Wykehamist
and first published in The Wykehamist in
December 1915. OWs are now needed
to help realise this historic project. Visit
www.thewesternfrontway.com.
GHGD declared: ‘Badcock was the Best
Best Man in Hampshire. Chawker’s
may have been his oyster but he was the
perfect Trusty Servant.’ Obituary in the
Daily Telegraph. See Rupert Hill’s address
above. winning Cricketer Cup side 1970, when
in a cameo partnership he sealed victory
against Tonbridge. He joined the staff at
Winchester in 1950 as a JP div don and
later as master-in-charge of cricket. He
took the summer of 1954 off to captain
Sussex and captained the MCC side
to Brazil and Argentina 1958-59. He
was Housemaster of Trant’s 1964-72.
He then became Headmaster of King’s
School, Bruton 1972-85, where his
dynamism, confidence and panache,
allied to his wife Sue, helped to transform
the school, which embarked on a
major building programme. He became
President, English Schools Cricket
Association 1965-2000 and President,
MCC 1981-82 and Treasurer 1987-92.
He was appointed OBE in 1993. He
was Chairman, Arundel Cricket Club
1992-02. Publications included, 1967
Edited Heart of Cricket, a memoir of
Harry Altham (Co Ro, 13-49), and
2014 Cricket’s Bounty, a collection of his
writing and verse. He is survived by Sue,
his wife of 58 years, and their daughter.
Their son and a daughter predeceased
him. Obituaries in The Times and Daily
Telegraph. See Michael Nevin’s appreciation
above.
Obituary
We are proud that 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.
Colin Francis Badcock (Coll, 39-43;
Co Ro, 49-76; Fellow, 77-92): died
3.12.2017 aged 92. Jun Cap Prae, Ross
Homer Prize, Kenneth Freeman Prize,
Editor, The Wykehamist, VI 1943 and VIII
1943. RNVR 1944-45, with whom he
served in Home Waters and the Atlantic.
Scholarship, Hertford College, Oxford,
2 Classics Mods 1948, War Degree
1949. MA 1953. He joined Winchester
as a don 1949, Housemaster of
Chawker’s 1962-76. Manager, Graduate
Recruitment, Barclays Bank 1977-87.
Lecturer, Swan Hellenic Cruises 1968-98.
Governor, Twyford School; Governor,
then Chairman, Horris Hill School. Joint
Editor Old Wykehamist Register 1930-
75. Joint Founder, The Trusty Servant
and Co-Producer of The 1961 Masque.
His wit, humanity and enthusiasm for
Classics made him a natural teacher.
George Hubert Graham Doggart
(E, 38-43; Co Ro, 50-72): died 16.2.2018
aged 92. Brother of APD (E, 41-45) and
father of SJGD (K, 74-79). Co Prae,
Duncan Reading Prize, Lords 1941-43
(captain), Soccer XI 1942-43 (captain)
and Princes 1942-43 (captain of Winning
Pair). OCTU Sword of Honour 1944.
Commissioned, Coldstream Guards, with
whom he crossed the Rhine and served
in North West Europe 1944-45. King’s
College, Cambridge, 2.2 History 1950.
MA 1955. He captained the Cambridge
University Cricket XI, Soccer XI, Squash
and Rackets. He made a sensational
first-class cricket debut, scoring 215 not
out against Lancashire. He played in
two Tests for England against the West
Indies in 1950 and for the Gentleman
against the Players in 1949 and 1950.
He was a member of the winning Arthur
Dunn Cup team 1948, 1950 and 1961
(captain) and was a member of the
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