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Born in 1915, came to Bristol in the late 1930s to practice as an architectural designer and very quickly established a reputation for black and white floor designs for cinemas and dance halls. Unfortunately, like so many of his contemporaries, his success was interrupted by the Second World War and he joined the Royal Artillery. Very quickly he joined the Commandos and was one of the Desert Rats serving with the Long Range Desert Group during which time he was wounded and hospitalised in Cairo. Upon recovery he was transferred to the SOE (Special Operations Executive) under the command of Sir Fitzroy MacLean. This included operating out of Bari in Italy, supplying arms to the partisans in Yugoslavia and to those Italians who were prepared to operate against the enemy. Next we find him at Monte Cassino and later entering Rome just as the Germans were leaving. After the War he trained as a teacher and his first post was in London but he soon moved to Cornwall where further interests developed, particularly swimming. He was a founder member of Bude Life Saving Club and was one of the first twelve Englishmen to be awarded the Bronze Medal of the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia. He moved to Bristol as Head of Art at St. Thomas More School and was elected a F. R. S. A. Later he became Deputy Head of Kingsweston School. Once again his varied talents were in evidence when he assisted in the formation of Bristol Youth Orchestra and played a trombone in the Bristol Brass Band. He was also an accomplished pianist and although he had a strong leaning towards jazz he was an excellent sight reader of classical music and a good accompanist. It is surprising that this particular talent was seldom, if ever, heard at the Savages. He was a skilled calligrapher and designer but painting remained his first love as the group of paintings for his Retrospective Exhibition, at the time of the 1998 Annual exhibition, illustrated so well. After joining the Savages in 1987 he made a rapid rise to the Presidency in 1991 2 and became deeply involved in upholding our traditions. (H. C.) After a short illness he died in 1996 aged 81. (H.C.)
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