No.129
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 [email protected] Dancy was appointed a Chevalier of
the Légion d’honneur for his wartime
service. Married 1944, Florence
Bryant, who became chairman of
the National Association of Youth
Clubs and who died in 2013. He is
survived by their daughter and two
sons. Obituaries in The Times and The
Telegraph.
John Christopher Dancy
(Coll, 33‑39; Co Ro, 48-53): died
28.12.2019 as Sen Man. Father of JPD
and CMD; grandfather of HMHD,
JCD & LHD. Cap Prae, Latin Verse,
Latin Essay, Greek Prose, Divinity
Prize, Goddard Scholar; College
VI 1936-8 (Capt); Scholarship to
New College 1939, 1 Cl Mod 1940;
2 Lt, Rifle Brigade 1941; Normandy
1944; Capt GSO 3 (Intell), NW
Europe 1944; Maj GSO 2, India and
Japanese surrender in Sumatra; New
College, MA 1946, Craven Scholar,
Gaisford Greek Prose, Hertford
Scholar 1947, recognised as one of the
leading classicists of his generation.
Lecturer at Wadham College 1946
and taught at Win Coll 1948-53;
Headmaster of Lancing 1953 where
the school under his leadership was
transformed. Master of Marlborough
1961 where he introduced academic
ambition, bursaries and girls; Labour
government commission on public
schools 1965; Principal, St Luke’s
College Exeter 1972-8; Professor
of Education, University of Exeter
1978-85 helping to establish it as one
of the leading schools of education in
the country. Author of Commentary
on 1 Maccabees 1954; The Public Schools
and the Future 1963; A Commentary
on the Shorter Books of the Apocrypha
1972; Walter Oakeshott: A Diversity of
Gifts 1995; The Divine Drama: The Old
Testament as Literature 2001. In 2015 Michael Hamilton Tweedy
(Co Ro, 55-89): died 28.3.20.
Bancroft’s School; Intelligence Corps
1946-8; Open Exhibition Corpus
Christi College, Cambridge 1948,
Mod Lang, 1 Pt 1 1950, 2 (1) Pt 2
1951; Scholar, British Institute
in Paris 1951, studying medieval
manuscripts at the Sorbonne; PhD
1954; moved to Winchester where
he stayed for 34 years, and where he
is remembered fondly for his witty
div hours and his years as Moberly
Librarian and later as Fellows’
Librarian. His humanity, enthusiasm
and an intellectually curious mind
made him a natural teacher: if ever
anyone wore learning lightly, it
was him. Desmond Lee gave him
a grant to go to Spain and learn
Spanish in one long vacation, laying
the ground for many years’ single-
handed teaching of the language at
Winchester. Author of Mots d’à-propos
1970; Chief Examiner in Spanish
ULSEB 1972-86. Retired in 1989 to
Chetnole in Dorset where he took to
village life. M (1) 1957 Enid Cosson
who died in 1993; (2) 2000, Gudrun
Ebenhoch-Grossman, who survives
him together with 2 sons and 2
daughters from his first marriage.
Geoffrey Alan Brook (Co Ro, 85-02):
died 9.2.2020. Tiffin Boys School
1958-65; semi-final of the Thames
Cup, at Henley 1964; University of
28
Durham (Teachers’ Certificate) 1965-
68; Birkbeck College, London BSc
Geography 1972-76; University of
Birmingham, MEd 1982; teacher of
Geography, Maths and i/c Rowing
Halliford School, Shepperton, 1968-
72; St George’s College, Weybridge,
1972-78; Shrewsbury School, 1978-
84; Head of Geography and don i/c
Rowing. As one of his colleagues
recalls ‘I will always remember
his friendly face and broad grin’;
chairman Ellis Geography panel
1980-84; chairman Geographical
Association’s Independent
Schools Working Group 1983-
87; secretary-general Coupe de la
Jeunesse (European Junior Rowing
Championships) 1989-2001, president
2001-2013: today 16 European nations
are members of the Coupe and his
contribution to that was huge and
relentless. British Rowing Medal
of Honour, 2013. An innovative
teacher, advocating the use of PCs
in the classroom before the practice
became widespread. A very involved
Freemason, making a huge number of
friends.
Peter Norman Bulmer Howell
(D, 32-38): died 20.4.2015. Christ
Church, Oxon 1938-9, law; 2 Lt,
Rifle Brigade 1941, North Africa,
invalided out following dysentery
1943. From 1944, actor/director in
stage, television, films and radio,
including performing for the Old
Vic alongside Olivier in Richard III
and Ralph Richardson and Sybil
Thorndike in Peer Gynt; 10 years
from 1958 in Emergency Ward 10,
the UK’s first medical soap, where
he played in 111 episodes; Scum
1979, the highly controversial prison
drama; and Crown Court. He taught
at the Guildhall School of Music and