Obituaries
Reverend Canon John Frederick Mockford (1941-46) 01.02.1928 – 11.01.2014
into insurance, first as an underwriter and then as an insurance broker with Lloyds of London Assurance. He ended his career as a director of Lowndes Lambert. In October 1979, when the company was relocating, Derek was asked to set up the new office in Swindon, so he moved down to Wiltshire and bought a house in Aldbourne. When he retired from work he kept active, playing tennis and golf and going to the gym. He also ran a theatre club and was treasurer of a day centre in Wokingham for six years. He was keen on racing and part-owned several racehorses over the years. He was a member of the Marlborough and District Probus Club and also the Aldbourne village men’s luncheon club. Derek had a healthy life up until his knee replacement operation at the Lister Hospital, London, just after his 80th birthday. He suffered a stroke on the operating table and lost co-ordination and some sight. He felt that he had lost his freedom as he was no longer permitted to drive, but he was determined to live as full a life as possible. His social life revolved around the local hostelries, where he was happiest with a glass in hand surrounded by his friends. His health continued to deteriorate gradually; he kept falling over and had to be taken to hospital several times, breaking a hip on one occasion. As a single man, it was eventually no longer possible for him to live at home on his own, and he spent his last few months at Aldbourne Nursing Home where he passed away on 6 May 2014. His funeral service was held at St Michael’s Church in Aldbourne on what would have been his 90th birthday. Derek’s cousin, Nicola Osgood, who attended James Allen’s Girl’s School (JAGS) contributed significantly to this obituary.
John Mockford was born in Maidstone as the son of a company director, but the family soon moved to Shortlands, near Bromley, where John joined the Bromley Crusaders. John came to the College from the Prep during the Second World War
and was in Grenville. He was a prefect, Vice Captain of Grenville, played rugby for the 1st XV for three years and was the team captain in his final year. He also played 2nd XI cricket and was chairman of the Christian Union. After leaving Dulwich he did National Service for two years from 1947, becoming a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Artillery. He then went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1949 to read Geography, but switched to Theology after Part One, graduating in 1952 having also played rugby. He took holy orders at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and became a curate at St Silas’s, Ardwick, Manchester, in 1954. He became vicar of St Leonard’s, Bootle, Liverpool, in 1957, but in 1966 moved to Central Africa, ending up as Canon Emeritus of Kampala diocese in Uganda. In 1975 he returned to the UK to a post in Wolverhampton and he was also a prebendary of Lichfield Cathedral. He then returned to Cambridge as Director of Pastoral Studies at Ridley Hall Teaching College. His last post was at St Margaret’s Church, Ipswich, from 1986 to 1993, after which he retired. He married his first wife, Angela, in 1955, and they had three children, but she died from cancer in 1998. He married again, to Betty, who is also ordained. After retiring he moved to Framlingham, where he continued to work closely with the local church, before finally suffering with dementia in his final year of life. He is survived by Betty and his three children. John’s friend, Dennis Littlejohn (44-50), contributed significantly to this obituary.
Lawrence Anthony Nelson (1940-42) 19.06.1926 – 20.12.2014
Lawrence Anthony Nelson was known as Tony throughout his life and came to the College from the Prep, following in the footsteps of his elder brother, Peter (38-41). Both brothers were in Spenser and Tony was a keen swimmer who was soon
Derek Ernest Ronald Moore (1940) 15.05.1924 – 06.05.2014
Derek Moore was the son of a civil servant who briefly came to the College from Alleyn’s School during the Second World War. After leaving Dulwich he went against the wishes of his father by not going to university, preferring to go to
in the swimming team, for which he was awarded colours. He enjoyed his time at the College and always looked back on it with great affection. After leaving Dulwich he started a four year course in Production Engineering at de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. This was interrupted in 1944 when he joined the Fleet Air Arm as a trainee pilot. His brother was killed in a flying accident, also in 1944, soon after qualifying as a Fleet Air Arm pilot. As the end of the war approached the
technical college instead. When he was called up for war service, he joined the Royal Engineers and was posted to Iraq. At the end of the war he declined an invitation to join his aunt’s family business and went
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