school, playing rugby for Gloucester for several seasons. He later played for London Welsh, Wasps and Llanelli, before retiring from all rugby in 1955. In 1956, he was appointed as an assistant master at Dulwich, becoming Head of Lower School in 1960. In 1963, he made his final career move to become headmaster of Birkenhead School, remaining there for 25 years. He had to contend with the Labour government’s opposition to the direct grant system. For some schools, this proved disastrous; for Birkenhead it meant a return to independence. A new classroom block, sixth-form centre and a school hall were all built, and the prep school was relocated. As headmaster, he was respected as an austere disciplinarian who insisted on good manners and appearance. He was also a quietly spoken, deeply religious Methodist, sometimes described as “Cromwellian”, who sought to imbue the Birkenhead pupils with his own spiritual values. He also possessed a wonderful sense of humour. John met Pegi Lloyd George, a distant relative of the former prime minister, while they were both students at Cambridge. They married and had three sons and two daughters. Four of their children also went to Cambridge. The family owned a holiday home in Moelfre, on Anglesey, where John liked to preach at the Congregational Church. After retirement from Birkenhead School, John and Pegi retired to Llanfairfechan in Gwynedd and he spent his final years in a nursing home at Deganwy, overlooking Conwy Bay. He is survived by Pegi and four of their children (the eldest son having pre- deceased him). Several obituaries were published in the Press and this one is based on these.
Brian James Harding [1943-46] 28.07.1929 – 07.09.2016 Brian Harding was born in Salcombe, Devon, but attended a number of different schools because of the disruptive impact of WW2. He eventually came to Dulwich from Bromley County School, and at the College he was in Spenser. After leaving Dulwich, he went on to study to become a surveyor, before doing National Service in the Royal Artillery as a junior officer, spending most of his Army time stationed in Osnabruck, Germany. After completing National Service, he returned to a surveying career, soon joining the firm, Edward Erdman, in London’s West End. He became a partner of the firm some time later, and eventually rose to head the Management Department, specialising in the management of shopping centres, and becoming a recognised national expert in this area. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. While on National Service, Brian met his future wife, Inge, and they married in 1955. Sons Mark and Gary followed and later there were five grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Away from surveying and his family, Brian’s great loves were all things related to Salcombe, collecting beetles, family history, and the Honourable Society of Masters, in which he rose to high rank. He also played rugby for Park House club in Kent and subsequently became their President. He was an immensely practical man who could turn his hand to more or less any area of DIY. Brian died in Beckenham, Kent, and is survived by Inge, both sons, all grandchildren and the one great grandchild. Mark Harding contributed significantly to this obituary.
Paul Anthony Millhouse Hickley [1953-62] 29.01.1944 – 07.01.2017 Paul Hickley was
born in Nottingham. His father, Bernard, was an actor, army officer, journalist and diplomat and
his mother a newspaper columnist. He began his education at Dulwich Prep, but an overseas posting for his parents meant he came to the College from Dean’s School in Singapore. At Dulwich he was in Sidney and also boarded in Ivyholme. He did lifesaving training and became an instructor, but his main passions at school were music and aeroplanes, both of which remained with him for life. On leaving Dulwich, he turned down a place to study law at St Andrew’s University, and instead joined the RAF as a navigator at the age of 19. His RAF career took him around the world, and Paul moved house 22 times during his working life. Highlights in the RAF included flying Vulcans, and successfully completing the Aerosystems Course, which is the navigation equivalent of becoming a test pilot. He also had a posting to RAF Wildenrath in Germany where he performed reconnaissance work along the Berlin Air Corridor during the final years of the Cold War in a Pembroke packed with camera equipment. After nearly 30 years of service, Paul left the RAF in 1992 and joined Hunting Aviation, leaving them as Flight Operations Manager in 1998. He then joined Oxford Aviation Academy as a flight instructor, retiring as Head of Modular Ground Training in 2009. He was an accomplished public speaker, specialising in historical technically-orientated aviation subjects. He first became a member
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