Obituaries
After retirement Keith and Audrey both joined the Abingdon Town Council, representing the Liberal Democrat party for 12 years (three full council terms). They each spent one year as Mayor of Abingdon, contributing to the life of the town in a wide variety of ways. As well as a love of languages, Keith loved the Arts and was also an avid reader, often reading five or six books at any one time, including poetry, fiction, biographies, essays and the classics. He loved theatre, particularly Shakespeare, but was equally happy with a good production of Oscar Wilde or a rousing farce. He had a love of a wide range of music, including classical orchestral, opera and musical theatre. His love of art led him to be one of the founding members of National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies in Abingdon, and he rarely visited or travelled anywhere without first researching what could be seen of historical and artistic importance while there. He enjoyed good food, loved making jams, pickles and chutneys, and on retirement expanded his culinary range thanks to Delia Smith. He also loved chocolate and cats. Keith is survived by his wife, Audrey, their four children and seven grandchildren, and will be fondly remembered for his wonderful speaking and reading voice and his infectious, instantly recognisable booming laugh. One of Keith and Audrey’s daughters, Jill Mowforth, contributed this obituary. James Hebdon came to Dulwich from Bickley Hall Preparatory School and was in Grenville. He was in the College shooting VIII in 1947. After leaving Dulwich, he was called up for National Service, commissioned in the Royal Artillery at Mons Barracks, and served for three years. He married Avril Williams in 1955 and together they had three children. After retiring he moved to Instow, north Devon, and became very involved in the North Devon Yacht Club, particularly with training young sailors. He also volunteered with the RNLI. He is survived by his three children and and by six grandchildren. Peter Hiscock came to Dulwich from Sunnyhill Junior School in Streatham and was in Grenville. He was captain of athletics, a prefect, and a member of the College choir. On leaving the College he began training as an actuary but after two years moved into IT, where he remained for the rest of his career. He spent his early working life building his experience in various computer-related roles, including a short period in Frankfurt, Germany, and three years in Edinburgh, where he met and married his first wife, Patricia. In 1977 he started his own business, providing computer Peter John Hiscock (1958-65) 25.11.1946 - 23.12.2012 James Alan Hebdon (1943-47) 03.04.1929 - 09.04.2013
and New Zealand, and in Cuba had the pleasure of meeting Russian Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. Alan passed away peacefully at the age of 87, surrounded by his family, in September 2011. He was predeceased by his son, John, and sister, Audrey, but leaves behind his loving wife, Brenda, after 62 years of marriage and three sons, five grandchildren and one young great-grandchild. An obituary was published in the Campbell River Mirror , on which this obituary is based.
Keith George Hasnip (1941-48) 09.08.1929 – 19.12.2013
Keith Hasnip was born in Bellingham, South London, came to Dulwich from Torridon Road Primary School in Catford in 1940, and was in Raleigh. This was wartime, however, and the College was bombed and the Science Building destroyed.
The College was closed for younger boys and he was evacuated first to Bridport, Dorset, and later to Cornwall. Eventually, Dulwich College fully re-opened and he was able to complete his school education in 1948. While at the College, he was a Flight Sergeant in the Air Training Corps (ATC) and a school prefect. After leaving Dulwich he did National Service, spending two years in the RAF as a radar operator. A natural scholar and linguist, he went to Caius College, Cambridge, in 1950 to study Modern Languages, specifically French and German, despite not actually visiting Germany for the first time until 1951. After passing his Part II exams in 1953, he stayed on in Cambridge to do a PGCE in order to become a teacher. In his PGCE year, he met Audrey Mary Leach, who was also completing her PGCE. They became engaged and both obtained teaching posts in Abingdon, Oxfordshire; Keith at Abingdon School and Audrey at St Helen and St Katherine’s Girls’ School. They were married in 1955. Keith spent 40 years teaching at Abingdon and fulfilled many different roles during this time. He taught French and German, and in 1989 became Head of Modern Languages until his retirement in 1994. From 1967 to 1979 he was Housemaster in Waste Court, a boarding house for younger boys. He set up a school exchange with Bielefeld in Germany at a time when such things were new and complex to arrange, but this exchange scheme continues at the school today. He was President of the Common Room for several years. He took responsibility for the school library as chief librarian, acted as a Scout leader for the school Scout troop, and took over the management of school buildings where he was responsible for buildings, the school fives courts and various school garages.
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