of East Lyng. It was organised by Andy and his future wife, Maggie Takacs, who had recently taken over the tenancy of the Rose and Crown. Andy had previously owned a pub in East London. He had also worked as a general manager for Searcys at Vintners’ Hall until 2013, when he moved to another company. He is survived by his wife, Maggie.
aide at a North Quincy elementary school; town meeting member in Needham and Wellesley; director of a long-established family business in Guernsey; guest lecturer at his alma mater, McGill, twice a year as well as several universities in the Boston area. Ever mindful of his mother’s strength in shepherding two young boys in the days of the Second World War and of the generosity of Americans, he supported many charities in an effort to ‘pay back’. In retirement, Martin and Joan enjoyed travelling the world, visiting family and friends across the USA and Europe, and spending time at their special place in Menton, France. Martin is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joan; children Deborah, Sharon, Mark and Simon; grandchildren Raymond, Christian, Khazana, Calvin and Benazhir and nephew, William Walter. Martin’s brother, William , was also at the College (Wargrave 1947–51).
Christopher Derek Wiggans (St Andrews 2001–06; Craig 2006–09) died on 17 May 2023, aged 29.
John Simon Philip Woolf (School 1939–42) died on 5 September 2019, aged 93.
Michael Edward Wright-Anderson (Ascham 1945–49; Blackwater 1949–52) died on 13 April 2023, aged 87. We are grateful to Michael’s son, Paul, for the following tribute: After leaving Eastbourne College, Michael took an engineer- ing apprentice at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, working on guided missile systems. He later became a computer engineer, working on mainframe computers for International Computers Limited, and including overseas assignments
Granville Forbes Wastie (College staff 1961–2005) died on 7 Novem- ber 2024, aged 86. Please see the tribute to him on page 16.
Timothy Frank Watson (Gonville 1953–57) died on 6 June 2024, aged 84. He qualified as a chartered surveyor and was also an estate agent and auctioneer based in Heathfield. His interests included veteran cars and motor racing, and he was a member of the Arnold Embellishers.
Andrew Fitzgerald Watts (Blackwater 1982–87) died on 29 July 2019, aged 50. In 2004, Andy started as food and beverage operations manager at Eastwell Manor, a 4-star country hotel near Ashford, Kent. The Somerset County Gazette reported in 2015 that the Lyng Fair would be held for the first time since 1913 in the village
Michael with his grandson Matt
in Mauritius and Nigeria. He lived most of his life in Hampshire and retired to Hayling Island, where he pursued his lifelong hobby of sailing – a love that he had developed at Eastbourne College. He is survived by his widow Angela, son Paul, and grandsons Matt and Tom.
Tony Watson
The following appeared in the 1991–92 Old Eastbournian on Tony’s retirement: ‘Tony’s qualities and skills displayed over the years have been massive. Many officers and cadets over several generations bear witness to the tremendous impact Tony has made in his 40 years’ service to the Eastbourne College Contingent Combined Cadet Force. ‘His powers as an administrator both as Quartermaster, Account- ant and Secretary were recognised by Inspecting Officers, even MOD and Cadet Training Centre, Frimley Park, would seek his advice on matters of detail… He was always the smartest on parade and always better prepared than the next man… His total integrity and honesty were beyond question – he would never take advantage of the system; he would never be grasping for his own benefit and he would always consider others before himself. One of his greatest qualities was his resourcefulness. He could find an answer to most problems, making equipment, repairing equipment, using his wealth of practical skills… Few will know that he is a notable fly-fisherman, organist, artist, singer, dancer, wine expert, gardener, reader, golfer and soon to become a video-cameraman. The award of the BEM to Tony in 1980 was for loyal service over so many years.’ Tony’s son, Paul added: ‘Dad enjoyed travelling in his retirement, often visiting my mother’s sister who lived in Spain. He enjoyed watching movies very much, probably a throwback to his younger years when he worked as a projectionist for the local cinema in Margate. He joined the Home Guard at an early age and signed up for the army a few years later. Stationed in Hong Kong he trained the Gurkhas and Danish troops. He passed several exams whilst there and became a sergeant. He enjoyed his time at Eastbourne College and was proud of his BEM for long service and his final awarded rank of captain as an NCO. His funeral was attended by friends and family including Eastbourne College staff, who we as a family were very pleased to see’. He is survived by his wife, Eileen, and his children, Elaine, Paul and Michael.
Capt. Tony George Watson (College CCF 1952–92) died on 15 May 2024. Tony started his military career in the Home Guard in Margate when he was 15 and remained in the army until his retirement in 1992 after 50 years’ continuous service. Maj-Gen David Thomson, MC (Gonville 1955–60) said at the time: ‘Tony was a quite outstanding example of what a soldier should be and he must have influenced a good many Eastbournians who never intended setting foot in the armed services.’ On joining The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) as a regular
he was attached to a young soldiers battalion because of his skill as an instructor. On promotion he went to Canterbury to train Danish personnel and then on to Shorncliffe to train national service conscripts. During this period he gained a first class certificate in education. In 1948 he was posted to Hong Kong to train Hong Kong Chinese in Lyeming. For this he had to learn to speak Cantonese so that he could instruct in the native language. He proposed to Eileen, his future wife, from Hong Kong and she waited three years for his return. Once his time was up, he came back to the UK and in 1951 married Eileen in Eastbourne. He joined the College a year later only intending the job to be a temporary one. The Eastbournian noted: ‘We also welcome most warmly CMS Watson, formerly of the Buffs, who has joined us as assistant SSI [School Staff Instructor], a post rendered necessary by the size of the contingent and the complexity of its organisation.’
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