playing for Malden Wanderers, which pleased Mike considerably. The marriage to Hilary ended in divorce in the 1990s and she died from cancer about ten years later. He continued to work in the snooker table business right up until his unexpected death from an aortic embolism, which was possibly caused by being a long-term smoker. Mike was always good company and was ever ready to buy his round when coming over to the Dulwich Sports Club to see old friends and reminisce about their youth. His wit, wry turn of phrase and amusing anecdotes will all be missed. Friend Marhn Eames (55-61) contributed significantly to this obituray. Donald Stuart Bassett [1936-41] 25.12.1924 – 28.02.2017 Donald Bassett was born in Herne Hill on to the College from Dulwich Hamlet school with a scholarship and was in Drake. He was at Dulwich as the Second World War (WW2) started and the school was evacuated to Tonbridge, Kent, for a term, but they were all pleased to return to Dulwich at Christmas. Donald’s father, Albert, was a printer by trade, had fought in the First World War and was in the Home Guard in Dulwich during WW2. He was killed in an air raid in early 1941, and Donald left the Christmas Day, 1924. He came
school at Easter 1941.
home by 7am when his wife would wake up to find that he had been to Milan and back without her knowing apart from his bringing back duty-free cigarettes. In 1971 he was posted to fly Tridents and he continued flying until 1979, when he had to retire at 55 years of age as were the rules then. Donald married Lucy L C Miriam from the Bas Rhein region in France in 1954. She was divorced and had had a son, Jean Marie, in 1950 with her first husband, Wilf. Donald adopted Jean Marie and he and Lucy had a son of their own, Philippe. In retirement, Donald volunteered for ten years at Brooklands museum, sitting in the Captain’s seat of a Vanguard, impressing visitors with his knowledge of the cockpit, especially when he met young pilots used only to flying modern Airbus or Boeing jets which just had joysticks and computer screens, intriguing and amazing them with the complexity of instruments and controls on older aircraft. Ill health did not prevent his indomitable spirit, driving himself or getting the bus to Brooklands. He was also in the church choir at St Paul’s Church, which was his spiritual home, and he occasionally stood in for the church organist. Sadly, Lucy died in 2001, so after that he was on his own. He moved from Carshalton to East Molesey to be closer to son Philippe. Donald was an ambitious cook, but he often set off his smoke alarm, much to the understandable concern to the residents of neighbouring flats in East Molesey. He will be missed at lunch at the Molesey Centre where he would almost always help his team win at the weekly quiz. So he has
Donald had intended to go to university after leaving Dulwich, but the War and the death of his father prevented that. Instead, he started working at Barclays Bank in Camberwell. He and his mother moved to Carshalton after his father’s death and Donald commuted every day on wartime public transport, although it was subject to occasional diversions to avoid bomb damage sites. He volunteered for the RAF in late 1942 but was not called up until late 1943, and not sent for pilot training in Florida, USA, until Jan 1944. He started training in March and graduated in November 1944. His unit was shipped back to England in March 1945, just in time for VE Day. He was posted to a squadron of Sunderlands in Ceylon, but the Japanese surrendered and the war ended before he could go there. “Well, I tried !” as Donald said afterwards. After the war, he flew Liberators for Coastal Command for a while, and also did a one week conversion course on Lancasters. After being demobbed in 1946, he returned to Barclays bank but continued flying part-time for the RAF to complete his pilot’s licence. Banking was not his thing so in 1948 he joined British European Airways (BEA) and flew several types of aircraft, but mainly the Dakota through the Berlin Corridor, which was an eight hour flight in those days. He moved on to fly Viscounts and then a new fleet of Vanguards in 1961. In 1965 he was promoted to Captain on Argosy planes flying cargo. Often flying at night, he would go to Heathrow at midnight and be back
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