No.129
The Trusty Servant
John Francis Hyde Villiers (E, 49-53):
died 11.2.2020. Editor The Wykehamist
1953, English Verse, Kirby Foils;
Scholar King’s College Cambridge,
2(i) History, Parker of Waddington
Studentship for studies in Portuguese
history 1957-8, MA 1960, PhD 1962;
member Footlights 1954-8, vice-
president 1958. British Council from
1960; Lecturer, Bandung, Indonesia
1960; regional director Bandung
1963; assistant representative Poland
1964, Greece 1967; Cultural Attaché
Romania 1970-72; director E Europe
and N Asia Dept 1972, representative
Indonesia 1975-7; director Far East
and Pacific Dept 1977-9; director
British Academy Institute in SE Asia,
Singapore 1979-84, Bangkok 1984‑6;
Visiting Fellow, Trinity College
Oxon 1987-8; Fellow, Royal Asiatic
Society from 1988; area editor for
SE Asia, The Dictionary of Art 1989-
94; author of numerous books and
articles on history of Portugal and
Portuguese empire in Asia, including
Südostasien vor der Kolonialzeit. A
citizen of the world who bequeathed
to his family an undying curiosity
about other civilisations and travel.
Always a scholar, he was fluent in
fourteen languages. Married Miranda
McKenna who died in 2019. Survived
by 3 daughters and a son. Tiger Club 1985-94. He was director
of various aviation companies from
1970, importing light aircraft from
France and Germany. Married
(1)1960 Caroline Perring and (2) 1998
Jacqueline Belton, who survives him
together with a son and daughter
from his first marriage.
Neil Campbell Jensen (I, 49-54):
died 23.10.2019. RAF 1955-7, Cup of
Honour No 5 Flying Training School.
One of the last National Servicemen
to be accepted for pilot training, his
lasting regret was turning down the
offer of a permanent commission.
William Cory & Son 1958-68,
marketing coal and oil; Hill Samuel
& Co 1968-70, setting up an internal
management consultancy; managing
director of house building and
property companies; involved with
historic aircraft, participating in flying
shows, a Buecker Jungmann being
his greatest love. Chairman of The Edward Oliver John Beck (H, 51‑56):
died 3.10.2019. National Service
KRRC 1956-7, 2 Lt KSLI 1957-8;
Royal Agric College, Cirencester
1959-61, diploma in Farm and Estate
Management, tennis team 1960-1,
Capt 1961. Joined family company of
land agents WO&E Beck, managing
a large number of estates in the
North West: chartered land agent and
chartered surveyor 1964; JP Cheshire
1972; Trustee, The Tabley House
Collection Trust, Cheshire from
1990. His loves were gardening, and
the Arts including opera, museums
and art galleries. He was an excellent
David William Baldock (G, 49-54):
died 19.2.2020. Son of FEB, nephew
of Sir ALP Norrington (Fellow 1960-9,
Warden 1970-4), 3rd generation of
Wykehamists, father to son, father
of JDB; National Service in Kenya.
Brasenose College Oxon, 3 Law
1959, BA. He became a partner in
his father’s solicitor’s firm Baldock’s
in Guildford, where he spent his
working life, mostly in family law.
He was a considerable naturalist,
particularly in the wildlife of
heathland Surrey and subsequently a
world expert on wild bees and wasps,
identifying 242 different species of
wasps in one British county alone
despite being allergic to them. Author
of Bees of Surrey 2008, Wasps of Surrey
2010 and Bees of Portugal 2018. He was
also a very expert trout fly fisher and
enjoyed golf. He died snorkelling
while on holiday in Kenya. Married
Manon Hatvany, who survives him
with their 2 sons and 2 daughters.
35
tennis player and enjoyed his skiing.
Married 1995 Lois Edwards, who
predeceased him.
Andrew Eustace Palmer (I, 51-56):
died 13.11.2019. Nephew of GEHP,
father of RJAP. Co Prae, V Herbert
Smith Prize 1956, Athlā; 2 Lt, 1st
Bn Rifle Brigade, Malaya 1956‑7;
Pembroke College Cambridge
1958‑61, 2(i) Hist, BA, MA; HM
Diplomatic Service 1961-95,
serving in Bolivia, Canada, France,
Norway; Fellow, Harvard Center
for International Affairs 1985-6;
HM Ambassador to Cuba 1986‑8:
he got on well with Castro and
found the Cubans charming and
welcoming despite the oppressiveness
of the regime. In 1988 he played
an important intermediary role in
persuading the Cubans to remove
their 30,000 troops from Angola. He
was seconded as Private Secretary to
the Duke of Kent, before becoming
Ambassador to the Holy See 1991-
5: the main task was to ensure that
Pope John Paul II and his staff were
sympathetic to British foreign policy.
CVO 1981, CMG 1987; Commander,
Order of St Olav (Norway) 1981.
Bilderberg meetings: assistant
organiser 1996-7, local organiser for
Lord Carrington’s chairmanship,
Turnberry 1998; University of
Reading: member of Council 1996-
2008; chairman, Friends, since
2006; visiting Fellow in Politics and
International Relations from 2007:
his classes were always full. Author
with others of Cuba under Castro
– Ambassadorial Reflections 2004, A
Diplomat and his Birds 2005. Married
1962 Davina Barclay, who survives
him together with their 2 sons and a
daughter. Obituaries in The Times and
The Telegraph.
Thomas Cecil Royden (F, 51-56):
died 6.10.2019. Son of JLR, brother of
CJR, 3rd generation of Wykehamists,