William Peter Thomas Harper (Nugent & Wargrave 1962–67) died on 19 July 2022, aged 73. American by birth, he joined Nugent in 1962 where he was head of house. He was awarded his cricket XXII colours in 1966, and was head of the choir, a member of the Glee Club and won the Solo Singing Cup. William also won the Mowbray Junior History Prize and was founder and hon sec of the Equestrian
Edwardian cricketer after whom the garden was named. I don’t think any of us who were at school with him were aware of this connection at the time. He certainly never referred to it in my hearing. But oddly enough it was on the cricket field that I first encountered him. He was at Tormore prep school in Deal, I was at Hildersham House in Broadstairs. My last summer there we were unbeaten, winning every game except the return against Tormore, with whom we drew thanks to a stubborn innings by Harris, who carried his bat. For some reason Tony – as I believe he came to be known – never achieved much as a cricketer at Eastbourne. But he was an outstanding centre three-quarter who played his first game for the 1st XV in 1957 aged 15. Sound in defence, a deft passer and very fast over twenty yards, he won his Stag in 1958 and was tipped, to borrow a term from the Turf, as ‘one to follow’. But it was not to be. His father, so I was told by his housemaster, P C Phillips, owed two term’s worth of fees, and Tony left prematurely in July 1959. What happened to him next is a mystery. His Valete entry in the Eastbournian offers no clues: only an address in Devon. He never, so far as I know, returned to the school. Contemporaries of his in School House – I was in Blackwater – have described him as a loner. I recall he wore a shooting jacket, a rather dated garment in the 1950s and the only clue, it now seems, to his landed connections. Fast forward about 20 years. I was crossing Berkeley Square when who should I bump into but Tony. He was recognisable, but also, I think it’s fair to say, a bit frayed round the edges. We exchanged pleasantries and I learnt that he was in the hotel business. But I got the impression that he’d no wish to prolong our acquaintance. And that might have been that had I not become friendly with a Tormore contemporary of his called Charles Sprawson, author of a classic book about swimming called The Haunts of the Black Masseur . Charles, who died in 2020, had more than his fair share of persis- tence and sheer bloody-mindedness. Learning of his old schoolmate’s peerage he determined to track him down, which eventually led him to ‘a modest villa’ in Ham, up-river from Richmond. Tony was no keener to renew his acquaintance with Charles than he had been with me and I don’t think Charles learnt any more about him than I had. This came as no surprise, because on the very rare occasions I met people with whom I’d been at prep school it was clear that whatever we’d once had in common had long since been erased. That said, I can’t help wondering about Tony. Did he really give up rugger – as we called it then – when he left the College? Hard to believe that so talented a player hung up his boots aged sixteen. And what exactly did he do in the hotel business? As a notoriously inquisitive columnist used to say, ‘I think we should be told...’
Club. He was a bugler in the CCF, was awarded the Lanyard of Honour and formed part of the Guard of Honour during the Queen’s visit in 1966. The 1964 Eastbournian reported: ‘Royal Marines & Army Sections: Sgts Harper and Barr J S, went on the Eastern Command Leadership Course in April, and both emerged with distinction. A leg injury kept Sgt Harper off the big final exercise, and prevented him from qualify - ing for a full report; this was bad luck, because the Directing Staff reported that “he would certainly have done very well indeed”’. In his first fortnight at the College, William sustained a crippling knee injury while playing rugby, resulting in a lot of time in and out of hospital during his first two terms. Despite this setback, he was able to establish himself in the CCF and was privileged to be granted command of the Proficiency Company (A Company) while an under officer. He also enjoyed a limited amount of cricket during his last two summer terms. On leaving the College in 1967, William entered the City and the world of Lloyd’s of London. In 1971 he joined the Honour- able Artillery Company (HAC) as a gunner. He quickly found himself captain of the Regimental Cricket Club, as well as playing for and managing fixtures for the MCC and many other clubs over the next 11 years, until he was forced to retire due to injuries sustained while part of an airborne formation. William’s City career progressed as a specialist cargo insurance broker and included becoming a founding director of a Lloyd’s marine broking operation in 1973. He was com- missioned into the Queen’s Regiment in 1974, subsequently serving in 16 Parachute Brigade, 6 Field Force as well as other front-line forma- tions over the next 12 years and gaining substantive field rank. William’s military and logistic qualifications resulted in him becom - ing involved in what is now known as the British end of the ‘Irangate’ scandal of the mid-80s. William said that there has been a lot of ill-informed media coverage of the events. Irangate was a watershed for William and his family. By the end of 1985, severely disabled now and profoundly deafened, a long period of rehabilitation and retraining began that was to result in him joining the probation service in 1989 and graduating in Social Sciences from Kingston University in 1992. For ten years William was seconded to the prison service, pioneering and implementing the concept of restorative justice (offenders publicly saying sorry and acting in a new pro-social way of thinking). However, further deterioration in his health meant he had to accept medical retirement at the end of summer 2006. Meanwhile, William had found himself being drawn into the Chris- tian ministry and since 2003 had been a licensed lay minister of both Rochester and Canterbury dioceses, with a ministry to offenders in the community and as a lay chaplain with a prison ministry at HMP Blantyre House. He is survived by his wife, Dee and two children. William was an Arnold Embellisher and regularly attended OE events, including the annual cricket dinner, the over-60s lunch, reun- ions and other celebratory lunches. He is pictured here at the 2016 reunion. Anthony Harris (School 1955–59) died on 17 March 2023, aged 81, and his obituary appeared in last year’s magazine. Michael Barber (Blackwater 1956–60) contacted us with his memories of Tony: In years gone by, when visiting Lord’s, I often freeloaded during the intervals in the Harris Garden behind the Pavilion, where wealthy acquaintances provided lavish fare. Never once, as I held out my glass for a refill, did I associate this lucullan spot with my contemporary at the College, A T S Harris, later Lord Harris, a descendant of the
Noel Brian Hill (Pennell 1940–45) died on 23 October 2024, aged 97. Our thanks go to Noel’s daughter, Jill Jackson Hill (Nugent 1970–72) for the following tribute: Noel was almost 98 when he died. He left his three daughters, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren. His family remember him not as an elderly man at the end of his life, but the fulfilled, vibrant, happy and determined individual that they loved for over six decades. He was the ultimate
gentleman – considerate, kind and courteous, but, if ever there was a product of their time, it was Noel. Born just eight years after the end of the First World War in which he lost an unmet uncle, and just 13 years before the start of the Second World War, in which he lost a brother, he straddled generational changes of momentous proportion. Noel was the middle son born to Harold Brian Cunningham Hill, who came from a long line of Shropshire gentry. Noel’s mother was from mixed Danish and South African/English descent. Noel’s grand- father was an army man, and India had been where he and many of his immediate antecedents had spent their careers when serving. Noel’s father had also been in India, in the army, civil service and then as a tea planter. And it was there that Noel was born in 1926, in Chubua, Assam. By the time he was four he was sent back to the UK to be raised
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