publishing over 100 articles. Following a period of declining health, he died one year after retirement and his funeral took place at Holy Trinity, Northwood, where he had been an active member of the church, with the congregation including many members of UCL as well as former colleagues and students from other universities. An obituary was published on the UCL website on which this is based. Duncan Leslie Smith (1955-63) 14.07.44-18.09.11 Duncan Smith came to Dulwich from the North County School at Banstead, was a prefect and Warrant Officer in the RAF section of the CCF. He went on to Jesus College, Cambridge, to read chemistry and take his PGCE before taking a post at Magdalen College School, Oxford, in 1968 as a chemistry teacher working there until his retirement in 2011. He was also a TA major in Oxford for which he was honoured with an MBE along with his work for the school’s CCF. He took an active role in school outside the chemistry department and the CCF for which he had an ‘enduring passion’. He was a tutor and later a housemaster and also joint head of careers, coached rugby as well as refereeing and also helped with the school’s cricket and tennis teams and its rifle club. Following retirement he would return occasionally to assist in career aptitude tests and worked with the Morrisby Organisation which provides career assessment systems. Unmarried and a diabetic, he died after a long illness. An obituary was published in the Oxford Mail on which this is based. Peter Steele came to Dulwich from St Dunstan’s Prep and was an officer in the Air Cadets. He joined the RAF for his national service where much to his dismay he could not fly because he was colour blind. He always wanted to be a journalist but was encouraged to follow his father into the family building business and qualified as a structural engineer in 1964 when he also took over the company FC Steele & Partners. He took pleasure in recounting the dates of old buildings where he had been involved and also new ones including schools, blocks of flats, one of which won Civic Trust Class 1 award, various churches in Beckenham, Sydenham and Plumsted, and the landmark St Lawrence Church at Catford. Among other work he oversaw the extension to Guy’s Hospital, he designed the bridge over the lake in St James’s Park and was the structural adviser for the erection of the Edward Alleyn Memorial in 2005. In recent years he had worked for Westminster City Council s a structural engineer. However, he still enjoyed writing Peter Frederick Steele (1945-52) 26.05.34-03.12.11
and after hanging up his boots at Westcombe Park Rugby Club he wrote weekly match reports for the Kentish Times . A passionate follower of cricket, he was a member of Surrey Cricket Club. Married in 1964 to Judith, whom he met at Camber Lawn Tennis Club, they were strong supporters of local activities. Within their local community at Beckenham they were the first to welcome newcomers and involve them in Christmas parties, suppers and even daffodil planting. A member of the OA Lodge, he was Worshipful Master in 1975 and again in 1996 and was also an enthusiastic participant in OA rugby and Alleyn Club dinners while they both regularly attended Founder’s Day. A governor of St Christopher’s School at Beckenham for fifteen years, he oversaw the new buildings and took any opportunity to dress up in a red suit or snowman outfit as well as running the coconut shy at the summer fair. John Johnston has contributed significantly to this obituary. Mike Telford came to Dulwich from Hamilton House School at Lee and enjoyed a full school career in the 1st XV, captain of Boxing, in the Athletics team and Captain of the School. He went on to Dundee University to read Law and then to Guildford College of Law to gain the necessary qualifications, and in 1976 he joined WK Webster & Co specialising in shipping law. He travelled extensively and became senior partner before retiring in 1997. A member of the Admiralty Court of the High Court of Justice, he was also an associate member of the London Arbitration Association and a London director of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. Among his leisure interests were rugby, golf and fishing. He will be greatly missed by his friends and very much by his family, his wife Liz and two sons and a daughter. Keith Upton came to Dulwich from King’s School, Macclesfield, the younger of two brothers. Until his parents moved south he was a boarder in Ivyholme. It was inevitable that being from an engineering family, he would take an engineering degree (at Queen Mary College, London). With a leaning towards research he went on to take his PhD at the University of Bristol. One of his tasks was the evaluation of crush test results on the newly designed British Rail mk 2 passenger coaches. An opportunity to work in Canada came and as a result he and his wife, Carol, spent a number of years in London, Ontario. On his return to the UK he moved to Canterbury, employed as development director by Emco Brass, one of the only two UK manufacturers of hose derricks for maritime tankers Keith Allan Upton (1948-55) 06.07.36–21.01.10 Michael Richard Brian Telford (1961-70) 06.09.50–17.05.11
43 Obituaries
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