No.127
regiment was his second family and as
his driver in Aden confided, ‘He’s the
type of bloke this mob need. They’d
follow him anywhere.’ He is survived
by Jennifer, his wife of 67 years, and
their son and two daughters.
Edward Dennis Armstrong (H, 36-
41): died 24.9.2018 aged 95. Brother
of ARA (H, 33-38). Christ Church,
Oxford 1941. Commissioned into
the Royal Artillery 1943, with whom
he served in the Middle East and
Italy 1943-45. During this time, he
organised the security when Churchill,
Roosevelt and Chiang Kai-shek met in
Cairo, 1943. After the war he returned
to Christ Church 1947, 3 PPE 1948,
MA 1951 and played the violin in the
college orchestra. He joined Sedgwick
Collins & Co Ltd (Insurance Brokers)
in 1948 where he remained until
he retired as Deputy Chairman of
the Sedgwick Group Plc in 1981: he
successfully arranged the insurance for
Elizabeth Taylor when she was filming
Cleopatra. He loved cruising and in
2005, on seeing in a photograph in The
Times that Somali pirates had attacked
a Seabourn Cruise Line ship and shot
out a window, he exclaimed that it was
his suite! He rang Seabourn to make
sure that the window was properly
repaired for his next cruise. He was
Chairman, Guide Dogs for the Blind
Association, and Vice Chairman, The
Council for Music in Hospitals. He
was elegant, generous, entertaining
and a fantastic letter write – above all,
a gentleman. He was unmarried.
Harald (Hal) William Curjel Wilson (K,
39-44): died 13.11.2018 aged 92. He was
born in in the Punjab where his father
worked in the administration and
his mother was a research doctor for
the Indian Women’s Medical Service.
Father of WJRW (A, 77-81). Co Prae.
He was commissioned into the Scots
Guards, with whom he served in
Germany and the Netherlands 1945-
47, during which time he worked with
Germans and the Dutch identifying
the graves of Allied servicemen.
The Trusty Servant
Corpus Christi College, Oxford 2
History. MA 1961. After attending
the Colonial Administrative College
he worked with the Colonial Service
in Northern Nigeria 1951-61. On
returning to the United Kingdom at
Nigerian independence, he qualified
as a solicitor 1969. He became the
Senior Legal Assistant at the Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
1971-82 and Treasury Solicitor 1982-
86. On retirement, he continued to
study languages – he had been one of
the best non-native Hausa speakers
in northern Nigeria. He struck up
an amiable rapport with a Russian,
speaking a mixture of German, French,
English and Russian. Horse racing was
his delight and he won an enormous
bottle of brandy with his entry of what
one horse said to another before the
race: ‘It’s that bloody Tattenham bit
that drives me round the bend!’ His
Christian faith was the basis of his
life. He was a kind, modest, scholarly
and friendly man who was always
interested in others. He is survived by
Gillian, his wife of 59 years, and their
son and daughter.
Richard Gustavus Lane (D, 40-44): died
19.8.2018 aged 92. Son of CAGL (D,
04-09). His parents’ postings abroad led
him to spend holidays with his aunt,
a painter and friend of Paul and John
Nash, which shaped his career in art
and painting. Co Prae and VI. RNVR
short course New College, Oxford
1944, Isis Boat 1945. With the Royal
Navy 1945-47 in Home Waters, where
he spent time painting the sides of
warships. He returned to New College,
3 Jurisprudence 1951, then went to the
Slade School, University of London
1952-55. He became the Art Master
firstly at Hurstpierpoint College 1953-
55, then Haileybury 1955-57 and
finally at Christ’s Hospital 1961-85. He
founded Fine Art Photography, made
educational films and produced high
quality slides for Sir Kenneth Clark
1957-61. He exhibited at the RA and
had a solo exhibition of paintings at
Woodstock Gallery 1982 and at Chapel
26
Row Gallery, Bath 2007. He always put
something back into the environment
in a very quiet but positive way. He is
survived by Pippa, his wife of 63 years,
and their two sons and two daughters.
Christopher
John
Vaughan
Drummond (E, 40-44): died 20.12.2018
aged 92. He arrived at Winchester
having been bombed out of his home
in Bromley and started as a day boy. He
shared a study with Geoffrey Howe (E,
40-45), with whom he remained good
friends. He served in the Royal Signals
1946-48. Magdalen College, Oxford, 2
Theology, MA 1951. He was ordained
and became a curate at Barking 1953.
He was then a Lecturer at Ridley
Hall and Chaplain at Clare College,
Cambridge, becoming Charles Simeon
Chaplain to Cambridge University
1959. He then went to Nigeria where
he was Lecturer and Vice Principal
of Immanuel College, Ibadan 1963-
69. Returning to the UK, he was
successively Vicar at Walthamstow
and Team Rector of Stantonbury
1974-84. He then became Diocesan
Ecumenical Officer for Oxford 1984-88
and was on the Board for Mission and
Unity and the Council for Christian
Unity on the Synod 1988-91. Finally,
he was Priest-in-Charge of Colton,
Lichfield 1991-94. He developed a life-
long love of Nigeria and was appointed
Hon Canon of St James Cathedral,
Ibadan in 1987. He is remembered
as a great listener and teacher and is
survived by Gwyneth, his wife of 58
years, and their son and daughter.
Christopher John Hanson-Smith (F,
42-45) died 9.10.2018 aged 90. Son of
a forester in Burma. Head of House,
Natural History Prize. Commissioned
from OTS Bangalore into the Royal
Norfolk Regiment, with whom
he served in BAOR 1947-48. New
College, Oxford 1948-49, including
Lausanne University Cours de
Vacances 1948. He first worked as a
District Officer in North Nigeria 1950-
59 where he spoke Hausa and Fula
fluently in order to engage with tribal