restored a derelict mill and built it up into a thriving pub and hotel, while bringing up their three children. They sold the hotel business in 1974 and moved to Tintagel, running a bakery and a launderette business there, and also developing rental property in the village. He also had a political career, firstly with the local parish council and Camelford Rural District Council, but in 1974 he was elected as an Independent Councillor to Cornwall County Council, remaining as a County Councillor until 1998, At a national level he represented Cornwall on the Association of County Councils and became the Vice-Chairman and leader of the Independent Group. For this work he was awarded the OBE in the New Years Honours of 1990. In May 1989, Yvonne developed cancer, but she managed to live long enough to meet the Queen at the Royal Cornwall Show that summer before passing away in August of that year. He remained in Cornwall, marrying Liz in 1992, but they separated in 2002 after a spell living in London. He then returned to his beloved Cornwall to live with his son and daughter- in-law on the edge of Bodmin Moor. While there, he met his special friend Muriel through the church and they spent four happy years together. Fred was a Freeman of the City of London, a member of the Worshipful Company of Saddlers and became Master of the Livery. He was churchwarden in Tintagel for many years, but he was most proud of being the Life President of the Tintagel Surf Life-Saving Club which he helped found in 1960. Latterly he was a member of the Rotary Club of Launceston. He was always justly proud of his family’s achievements, and of all his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and after his long and eventful life, he died quietly, as he would have wished, with Muriel and his family around him. Hugh Elborough Parry Woodcock (Headmaster DCPS 1962-91) 09.02.25-02.04.11 Hugh Woodcock, who will be remembered by a number of OAs, was educated at The Dragon School and St Edward’s, Oxford, and after wartime service in the Royal Navy, read history at Trinity College, Oxford. His whole working life was spent in teaching, first back at The Dragon School and then in 1954 he was appointed Headmaster of Portsmouth Grammar Junior School. In 1962 he took a similar post at Dulwich College Preparatory School, where he stayed until retirement in 1991. Entirely independent of the College, boys from the Prep went to schools all over the community, including Dulwich itself. While it remained a school of high academic standards, he introduced many changes to the curriculum, including drama, design technology, computing and separate science lessons, while music and art
were taught through the school. He played a large part in modernising the school buildings, including a fine music school named after him; as he said, ‘a fine tribute to someone who cannot sing a note in tune’. He became active in the wider prep school and educational worlds and was twice elected chairman of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS). He earned wide respect because he always said what he believed and he was proud to be a governor at Harrow, St Edwards and The Dragon. However, what pleased him most was the large number of letters he continued to receive from old boys of the Prep saying how his support had helped them to achieve ambitions. He led a busy and fulfilling life to the end and on the day he died he had thought of playing a few holes of golf but settled instead for cutting the lawn at his beloved home in Cornwall before watching the World Cup cricket final. His younger brother, John, is the former cricket correspondent of The Times and he is survived by his wife and four children. An obituary was published in The Times on which this is based. Michael Wright came to Dulwich from the Prep and was on the arts side. He played for the Colts XI and then the 3rd XI and boxed for the College in 1950- 53. Following national service he worked for a time at Twinlocks and Courtaulds and then joined Sir Robert McAlpine to become a quantity surveyor. In 1963 he left to study for the Anglican ministry but took the hard decision to leave the London College of Divinity after a year believing that he was not truly called. He returned to McAlpine’s and soon after joined the private practice of Cook and Butler, chartered quantity surveyors and project managers, where he remained for the rest of his professional life until retirement in 2000, becoming a senior partner. After retirement he was involved as project manager in several interesting developments, perhaps the most significant being the building of The Beacon youth centre at Lee Abbey in North Devon, where he had spent many holidays with his family. His Christian faith undergirded his life and he was an active member of Christ Church, Beckenham, where he met his wife Pam and was married in 1966. He was Churchwarden there until they moved to Reigate in 1984 where the family joined St Mary’s and made contact with several other OAs including Michael Knowles and Val Rees. Two of his four children followed him to the Prep much to his delight. He was greatly affected by the death of his eldest son Tim in a traffic accident in 1993 but this led him to establish and support a kindergarten in Tim’s name in Haiti which always remained a close interest. Michael Duheaume Wright (1946-53) 08.08.35-10.06.11
45 Obituaries
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