Obituaries
between 1957 and 1983, I did appreciate the facilities for teaching in the two parts of the post-WW2 Science Block, so I am happy to contribute now to the appeal for new buildings for the education of future scientists.’ Basil is survived by Enid, all three sons, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Sons Ken and Pete, as well as Peter Rees (Staff 56-91), all contributed significantly to this obituary. Reverend Dr Keith Richard John Cripps (1934-40) 24.06.1921 – 17.02.2015
scored a century in a schools’ match at Lord’s that was briefly interrupted when a German flying bomb landed on the nursery ground. The following year he was one of three young players, with Donald Carr and Luke White, to make their first class debuts in the England team for the third Victory Test against Australia at Lord’s. John went off to do National Service in the Royal Navy for two years before going to St John’s College, Cambridge, to read Geography, winning the Sir Joseph Larmor Award in his final year. While at Cambridge he also played cricket for the University and was a prolific batsman for them between 1948 and 1950, winning Blues for cricket and hockey. He earned his full Test debut against Australia in the last test at The Oval in 1948. As in the Victory Test in 1945, Keith Miller proved again to be his nemesis, bowling him twice; John scored only one and 10. His only consolation was being on the pitch when Bradman was bowled by Eric Hollies for a duck in in his last Test innings, leaving, leaving him with a final test batting average of 99.94. In 1949 he scored 204 while adding 429 with Hubert Doggart for Cambridge against Essex, an English record second-wicket partnership that remained for 25 years. The following year he scored 212 against Sussex in a 349 run opening partnership with David Sheppard, and he scored 183 in a 343 run opening partnership again with Sheppard, this time against the West Indies. This earned John a recall to the England side against the West Indies, but a determined and gritty 67 at Trent Bridge proved to be his only Test half-century. He toured Australia in 1950-51, playing in a couple of Tests, but on returning to England he took up a career in teaching and from then on his cricket, mainly for Middlesex, was restricted to the summer holidays. He taught at Tonbridge School in 1951-52, then Rugby School for four years before moving to Australia to become headmaster of Barker College in New South Wales. There he found that one of the parents was former cricketer, Richie Benaud, who died one month before John, in April 2015. On returning to England in 1963 he was appointed at Dulwich to teach Geography, coach cricket and hockey, and became the College’s Head of Careers and a housemaster. He remained at Dulwich until his retirement in 1987. During his teacher career, whenever he encountered a stressed parent or colleague, he would attempt to calm them by saying that it was nothing compared with facing Keith Miller being roared on by 60,000 Australians, with little in the way of protective gear. John married Shirley Henderson with his best man at the wedding being David Sheppard, the cricketer who went on to become Bishop of Liverpool. John and Shirley had two sons, Tim and Jim, and three daughters, Debbie, Sarah and Pippa. Tim (67-74) teaches maths at Monkton senior school in Bath; Jim (68-75) teaches Geography and coaches cricket, like his father, at Wellington College; Debbie is the vicar of St
Keith Cripps was the son of a vicar from Anerley who came to the College with a scholarship from the Prep. While at the College he was in Raleigh, was a prefect and treasurer of The Alleynian . He also wrote a poem about Rembrandt’s Girl
at a Window that was published under a pseudonym, Allegri, in The Alleynian in March 1940. He had many tales of inspirational teachers at the College, including Sir James Cobban, who wrote Civis Romanus, and A S Macpherson, who wrote Deutsches Leben. (Photo: Keith Cripps, right). After leaving Dulwich he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, with an Open Exhibition and an Evan Spicer Scholarship. He read Classics initially but switched to Theology after his Part Ones, graduating in 1943. He was prepared for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, before briefly moving to St Chrysostom church in Manchester. He also worked for the Student Christian Movement (SCM), before returning to Manchester as Anglican chaplain and a lecturer at the university in 1950. He moved to become chaplain and a lecturer at Ripon Training College in 1960 before becoming Senior Lecturer in Divinity at Kenton College of Education in Newcastle in 1965, gaining a PhD while he was there. He returned to Cambridge to become Acting Dean and finally Chaplain at Jesus College, where he sanctioned a performance of The Crucible with Prince Edward among the cast. He retired in 2002. He married Claire Watson in 1947 and they had two daughters. After retirement, Keith moved to Exeter to be near his elder daughter, Jacky, and her family. Jacky contributed significantly to this obituary.
John Gordon Dewes (Staff 1963-87) 11.10.1926 – 12.05.2015
John Dewes was born in Latchford, Cheshire, and went to Aldenham School in Hertfordshire, where he became Head of School and Captain of all games. His cricketing talent was soon visible and in 1944 he
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