He was a skilled cook and enjoyed inviting friends around for dinner or a barbecue. He was kind and considerate, and a good listener, who could always offer sound advice if needed. Even in his final days at St Christopher’s Hospice, the staff there commented on his kindness and politeness.
and Kitty retired to North Cornwall, where he was able to advance his considerable woodworking skills. He died after suffering from prostate cancer for some time and is survived by Kitty, their three children, and by six grandchildren. A brief obituary was published on the British Medical Journal (BMJ) website, on which this is based, with additional information supplied by David’s son, Andrew. Basil Harry McDonald [1940-45] 18.11.1926 – 16.05.2016 Basil McDonald was the only child of Herbert McDonald, who was a civil servant, and his wife Margaret. Basil was proud of his Scottish roots but lived most of his life in London. He grew up in Borough, near London Bridge. Basil came to Dulwich from St Olave’s Grammar School, which was then near where they lived in Tooley Street, but the school later moved out to suburban Orpington in the 1960s. At the College, he was in Drake and on the Mathematics side. After leaving Dulwich, Basil’s poor eyesight gave him a medical exemption from National Service so he went to study at King’s College, London and then worked for the London Chamber of Commerce for some years, but his heart was not in working in business, so in a dramatic change of direction for his career, he became a professional singer (baritone) and actor in 1958. Early television commercials saw Basil parachuting for a Toblerone advert, and placing a glass of Guinness between a couple before they kissed, as one of the Toucan series of Guinness adverts. This particular advert was considered too risqué for British television at the time and was only shown in cinemas. He was also one of George Mitchell’s
Black and White Minstrels, taking part in the Summer Special shows broadcast by the BBC. These shows were hugely popular for twenty years, and it was voted as the best television show in the world in 1961. The stage show continued to tour the country well into the 1990s. As an entertainer, he belonged to the Equity union and was a member of the Magic Circle. Basil married Olive Cross on Founder’s Day in 1949 and they were devoted to each other for more than 65 years, but they had no children. Knowing the South Coast from performing in those summer special shows years before, Basil and Olive lived out their final years in Brighton, until Olive’s death in November 2015. Basil suffered from dementia and was increasingly confused during his last twenty years and he could make little sense of where he was living. He never forgot Dulwich though and continued to wear his OA tie until well into his final year. He also had a print of the College hanging on the wall of his Care home room in Hove. The Reverend Julie Newson, Deacon- in-charge of St Luke’s Church, in Brighton contributed significantly to this obituary.
He is survived by daughter Valerie and by two grandchildren.
David Murray Mann [1942-49] 07.03.1931 – 23.01.2015 Dr. David Mann was the youngest
doctor from a medical family that practised in Dulwich and
Norwood for more than sixty years. He came to the College from the Prep and was in Drake. After leaving Dulwich he went to University College, London, to study medicine, qualifying from University College Hospital in 1955. David and his brother James inherited their parents’ GP practice in Gipsy Hill, and developed it into a partnership of seven doctors, with a list size of 18,000 patients. David took responsibility for the move of the practice from shop premises to a purpose-built health centre, and was determined for the practice to perform to the highest possible standards. He was the school doctor for both the College and for the Prep for a number of years, and when he retired another of his GP partners and another OA, Richard Penny, took over. He married Kathleen Higgins, known as Kitty, in 1957 and they had three children, Caroline, Andrew and James. Both Andrew and James subsequently came to the College. Arthritis forced his early retirement in the mid-1980s, whereupon he
Alastair Robert Michell [1951-58] 28.12.1940 – 08.10.2016
Bob Michell was born during the Second World War as the son of a doctor with the family living
in Camberwell. Bob came to Dulwich from St Saviour’s School in nearby Herne Hill, and was in Spenser. At the College, he was keen on drama appearing in many school plays, and also set his heart on a career in
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