Obituaries
Chris maintained several strong friendships from Dulwich and two of his daughters have Old Alleynian godfathers. Roger Sherman (56-64), one of those godfathers, contributed this obituary.
Books in a laid-back office in Harmondsworth, near Heathrow Airport. While there, he learnt two lessons that he would never forget: keep on the right side of the Production department, and never hurry back from lunch. Soon he was appointed an editor in Penguin’s editorial office in Bloomsbury where, somewhat disconsolately, he started off working on books about geography, the environment, sociology and accountancy. He was happier when he was asked to revive the Penguin Crime list in 1974, working with Julian Symons as advisor. He republished titles by Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh, as well as introducing new names such as PD James, Jacqueline Wilson and Antonia Fraser. Moving into general fiction, his greatest coup was to acquire Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber in paperback, and his first hardback editorial job was Prick Up Your Ears , John Lahr’s biography of playwright Joe Orton. Despite these achievements, and being photographed by Harper’s & Queen magazine in his corduroy trousers as the epitome of the well-dressed man, he was made redundant by Penguin in 1980. Three days later he joined another publisher, Hutchinson, then owned by the television company LWT, where he remained for the next three decades, surviving multiple changes of name and ownership, as a testament to his tenacity. One type of book with which he became particularly associated was memoirs of stage and screen, and he worked with Richard Attenborough, John Mills, Anthony Sher, Charlton Heston, Ken Russell, and Alan Alda, among others. He also worked with such authors as Willie Donaldson, better known as the fictional letter-writer Henry Root, published the books of agony aunt Claire Rayner, and For the Record, the memoirs of Donald Regan, US President Ronald Reagan’s chief-of-staff, which contained the revelation that Nancy Reagan consulted an astrologer before giving her husband political advice. Paul Sidey’s most enduring publishing relationship was with Ruth Rendell, with his editing all her novels after 1983, continuing as her editor after retiring from work in 2011. Writers were drawn to Sidey because he knew how to talk to them, and because he could be trusted with their best interests. A friend of his observed that he was the ideal editor, in that he knew a little about a lot of subjects. While he could make cutting asides and had a competitive streak, especially at table tennis, he had an almost boundless capacity for friendship. Paul Sidey wrote two collections of poems for children, Dinosaur Diner (1990) and My Brother is an Alien (1991), as well as four novels written since his retirement in 2011 and all unpublished at his death. In 1984, he married a colleague from his days at Penguin, Marianne Velmans, who is now publishing director of Doubleday. They had a son, Jack, who works in the film business, and a daughter, Saskia, who has a career in
Brian Frank Shilstone (1938-40) 03.05.1925 – 22.04.2014
Brian Shilstone came to the College from the Prep and was in Drake. He left after only two years, during the Second World War, to be taught by a private tutor in Bath, where his father Frank was the Chief Engineer of a wartime project to rebuild the Westwood quarries to house precious artefacts from the British Museum. On reaching 18 years of age, he joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), spending most of his WW2 years in Italy. After the war ended, he spent most of his working life employed by Hopkinson’s Industrial Valves, retiring in 1990 as their Sales Director. Hopkinson supplied steam valves mainly to electricity generating stations in Wales and the West of England. He was highly respected by his customers for his knowledge, his innovative approach to problem- solving and engaging in dialogue at all levels in client organisations. Brian and his wife Grace celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 2011, when they were joined by their loving family of three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Also present were many friends and family with whom Brian had engendered a deep and lasting affection. He maintained a keen interest in art and science in his retirement, and painted a variety of portraits and landscapes. He had many memories of his formative years at the Prep and the College. He enjoyed a number of annual reunion dinners before falling ill and having one of his legs amputated. Brian will always be remembered for his optimism, self-deprecating sense of humour, concern for people, independence of thought, and an irrepressible approach to the fun of living.
Paul Anthony Sidey (1954-61) 21.07.1943 – 17.09.2014
Paul Sidey was born in Lincolnshire, where his father was then stationed with the RAF. The family soon moved to London and his father joined Barclays Bank. Paul came to the College from the Prep at the age of 11 and was in Spenser.
After leaving Dulwich, he went to Selwyn College, Cambridge, to study English, and on graduation in 1965, he spent a year at the London Film School. Then he set up a film production company, Horoscope Films, with a friend, but the only film they ever made led to his having to flee his creditors. In 1970, he got a job as editorial programme controller at Penguin
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