Obituaries of Clare Members

1942
John Spence (Architecture)

1943
George Clarke (English)
Brian Willoughby (Mechanical Sciences)

1948
Michael Green-Armytage (Natural Sciences)

1949
John Gray (Natural Sciences)
Peter Mornement (Mechanical Sciences)

1950
David Elliston Allen (Archaeology & Anthropology)
David Allen attended Clare College, Cambridge from 1950-53 and graduated with a joint degree in Archaeology and Anthropology, but his real passion was Plant Taxonomy. However, without a degree in Botany, David tried a variety of career and worked in Market Research for eight years. An idea for a book developed, so in 1965 he wrote full-time and in 1967 his book ‘British Tastes’ was published in an unexpected blaze of publicity. After another career change he joined the Economic & Social Research Council for 19 years, during which time he founded the National Statistic Users Council and helped to set up a national computerised Data Archive, which became a flourishing operation at the University of Essex. This resulted in his award of an Honorary Doctorate from that university in 1995.
In 1969 he published ‘The Victorian Fern Craze’ which acquired a cult following on both sides of the Atlantic. David had always been interested in Natural History and his passion for botany with his experience in social anthropology led to the publication in the 1976 of ‘The Naturalist in Great Britain’ which was well received by historians of science. The book gained him election to the British Society for the History of Science, to the Presidency of the Society for the History of Natural History, who awarded him the Founder’s Medal in 1998 and the John Thackray Medal in 2005, and to the editorial board of the journal ‘History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.’ It also played a major part in David obtaining, in 1988, a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge.
In 1986 he retired from the ESRC and approached the Wellcome Institute to teach on of its Masters’ courses, which led to his appointment as Honorary Lecturer in the History of Biology. He obtained a grant to pursue his interest in the History of Medicine and by chance the Wellcome Trust were looking for someone to runs its History of Medicine Grants Programme and he began 10 years as their Co-ordinator.
David had been involved with the Botanical Society of the British Isles in one capacity or another since 1949 and in 1985 he became President for two years, which coincided with the publication of his book entitled ‘The Botanists’, which was the official 150 year history of the Society. His years of extensive study contributed to the award of the H H Bloomer Medal by the Linnean Society in 1981 and he was made an honorary member of the Botanical Society in 1994.
David published 9 books of his own, including the ones already mentioned, as well as ‘Books and Naturalists’ in 2010, which was number 112 of the world famous New Naturalists Series, now numbering 140 editions, which has been running since the early 1950s. His last publication in 2023 of ‘Allen’s Brambles of Ireland’ was on his speciality in the genus Rubus. David Allen died at the age of 91 in July 2023.

John Cole (Natural Sciences)

Peter H de Rougemont (History)
Peter de Rougemont was born on 27th November 1930.  Having attended Winchester College he came up to Clare College in 1950 to read History.  A keen rower, he rowed for Clare and during his National Service rowed for the RAF at Henley in 1949.
After Cambridge, Peter entered the world of insurance and reinsurance and became a broker both in the UK and USA.  He retired in 1987 and moved to Alderney in the Channel Islands. His hobbies included opera and music, genealogy and for many years he carried out voluntary work for the Redundant Churches Fund.
Peter died peacefully on 7th June 2024 in Alderney, aged 93. Dearly loved husband, father and stepfather, grandfather and great grandfather.

Poznan Sorgo (Natural Sciences)

1951
Rolf Buhler Alexander (Mathematics)

1952
Robert A. Bell (History, Law)
Geoffrey Budenberg (Mechanical Sciences)
Trevor Chapman (Natural Sciences)

1953
James Biltcliffe (Mathematics)

Geoffrey Peter Kingsley Miller (Mathematics)
Geoffrey Peter Kingsley Miller was born on 5 September 1932 in East London, close enough to Bow Bell for him to boast of being a Cockney. He grew up in Cookham and was the oldest brother of three, who all attended Marlborough College. At 18, still in the Sixth Form, Peter (as he was known) was the ‘unlikely’ winner of the 25th Sunday Times Cup Race, a 2600-yard course in around three minutes without a fall.
Peter enjoyed a variety of other sports. His main ones were: squash, tennis, hockey, and later in life he became a keen croquet player. Other hobbies included fly-fishing, electronics (he built an amplifier in the 70s), wine and stocks and shares. He also used to make coffee every morning using an old Kone glass percolator.
Peter earned a scholarship to Clare where he eventually graduated in 1956 with an MA in Pure Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. He completed his national service in the Green Jackets before joining the Liverpool Scottish TA in 1953, where he attained the rank of Major. He was an excellent marksman and won a gold Duke of Edinburgh medal presented to him personally by HRH Prince Philip.
In 1956, Peter joined ICI and became Retail Manager for South Thames. ICI offered him a post in a West African country and, but for an ill-timed coup, he would have gone. Instead, in 1966, he joined John Lewis and soon became the General Manager of Robert Sayle, Cambridge. In 1978, he was promoted to Director of Management Services before heading up a project to build a new ‘experimental’ out-of-town John Lewis by the M40 at High Wycombe, which he ran until he retired in 1992.
Peter married Pamela Carey-Wood in 1963 after meeting on the ski slopes. They had three children and 60 very happy years together. He was totally devoted to her and her to him. She sadly died just three months after him. Since his passing, Peter has been greatly missed by those who knew him. He was most generous with his time and money. Those he worked with said that they gained much from his words of encouragement and wisdom. He was a very conscientious worker and was a role model of honesty and integrity. He had a ready smile and a quip or joke was never far away.

Michael Jaeger (Law)

1954 Jonathan James Benn (Mechanical Engineering)
Jonathan Benn died suddenly playing golf on 3 October 2023, aged 90. He leaves a widow, Jennifer, two children, Robin and Juliet, and four grandchildren, Alastair, Alison, Catriona and Christina. His kindness, integrity, careful logic, and pin-sharp judgement were unmatched, and remained undimmed.
Sir James Jonathan Benn, 4th baronet, was born in London in 1933, one of five children of the publisher and writer Sir John Benn Bt and the Hon Ursula Hankey, daughter of Maurice Hankey, the first Cabinet Secretary.
Jonathan grew up near Limpsfield Chart in Surrey. In the early 1950s, he undertook National Service with the Royal Artillery, after which he took up his place at Clare College to read Engineering, matriculating in 1954. While at Clare, he played the violin in orchestras and quartets, and he enjoyed playing golf and tennis, although he also found time to pass the professional examinations of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. His younger brother, the publisher Timothy Benn, followed him to Clare, where he read History, matriculating in 1957.
In 1960, Jonathan married Jennifer Mary, daughter of Dr Wilfred Howells OBE. They had met in London the previous year, and they remained inseparable for over 63 years. Jonathan had a distinguished career as a papermaker. He joined Albert E Reed & Co. as a graduate trainee in 1957, starting out as a professional engineer in Reed’s huge Aylesford newsprint mill. He subsequently managed a number of newsprint and corrugated board mills, joining the board of Reed Paper & Board (UK) Ltd in 1971 and serving as Chairman and Chief Executive, 1977-90.
The late 1980s saw a management buyout and sale of Reed International’s papermaking interests to Svenska Cellulosa AB. Jonathan was Chairman of Reedpack Paper Group and Director of Reedpack Ltd, 1988-90. He was also Chairman of the SCA Pensions Trust, 1988-98, and President of the British Paper & Board Industries Federation, 1985-87. He became a Freeman of the Stationers’ Company in 1984, was clothed as a Liveryman in 1986, and later served as Renter Warden.
When not making paper, Jonathan was an unusually good golfer: he played at Limpsfield Chart for 80 years and at Rye Golf Club for over 50. He was an expert skier for 60 years, a maker of countless model aeroplanes, a very talented classical violinist, and an energetic gardener.

Neville Moores Andrews (History)
Neville Andrews (Nev) was born in Wallasey in 1933. He attended Wallasey Grammar School where he was the Captain of Boats. He did two years of National Service, where he studied Russian with the Intelligence Corps. In 1954 he went up to Clare College, Cambridge to read history. He was chapel clerk and sang in the chapel choir. He was a member of Cambridge University Mountaineering Club and rowed for the 1st VIII for the four years. In his final year he was Captain of Boats. He was the spare man for the 1957 University boat race crew, and captained Goldie in 1957 and 58. He was a member of the Clare Crabs and the Hawks Club. After a year of teacher training at the Perse School he achieved his Certificate of Education in 1958 and went to Bedford School to teach history. He was a founder member of the Star Rowing Club in Bedford, and subsequently captain and president. He went on to teach history, Russian and economics at Wallasey Grammar School and Market Harborough Upper School before taking a post as headmaster at Baines Grammar School in Poulton-le-Fylde and then as headmaster of Evesham High School. He retired from teaching in 1992, but continued to work as a volunteer at Tewkesbury Volunteer Bureau where he became the volunteer organiser. Apart from rowing his interests included mountaineering, skiing and playing the piano and piano accordion. He died on the 9th of December 2023 aged 90.

David John Britton (Natural Sciences) David was born in Merton in July 1935 and grew up in the nearby suburb of Raynes Park. He gained a place at Raynes Park Grammar School, where his greatest strengths were in mathematics and the physical sciences. Also joining the chess club, he worked his way up the boards and eventually played for the school at County level. He was a keen cyclist, covering many miles across south London and the Surrey hills and his cycling log books are early signs of his meticulous note-taking and passion for maps. He entered Clare with a scholarship, reading Natural Sciences and electing to take Chemistry at Part II. The chess continued, each competition match recorded and analysed for its strengths and weak points. Many lifelong friendships were formed during his student years, and maintained by letter, in person, and by regular attendance at reunion dinners. After graduation, David’s first professional post was in the research laboratories for Distillers (latterly Honeywill-Atlas), then based in Hull. His laboratory photographs from those days are alarming when viewed through a twenty first century lens, with large rigs of glassware on open benches. In January 1961, David returned to south London and a position at the Honeywill-Atlas site in Carshalton. A business takeover meant that by the late 1970s David was technically still working for the same company, but this was now a part of ICI where he was offered the opportunity of a three year secondment to their offices outside Brussels. David’s analytical skills proved well adapted to finance and planning, and the three years turned into fifteen. When he retired in 1992 he did so as director of planning and marketing for ICI’s Polyurethanes Division, as well as for Speciality Chemicals. David and Shelagh had long intended to retire to the south west of England. Researching their new home in the Cotswolds and its past owners was David’s first major foray into local history. Over the following thirty years his researches produced three books on the Ashton Keynes area, drawing in a local co-author for the second and third. David’s careful record keeping and passion for detail were augmented by an insistence on seeking out primary sources and contemporaneous accounts wherever these could be found, and this was the seed which grew into a personal library of antiquarian books. Even though well rooted in each place that they lived, David and Shelagh were always clear when it was time to move on. In 2016 they made their final move across the country to a village on the Fen edge and Cambridge rim. David turned his interest in local history towards the historical mapping, draining and management of the Fens; the last books added to his collection have a strong ‘Fenny’ flavour to them. Active until his last couple of months, David passed away at the end of December 2023. He is survived by his wife Shelagh, two daughters, four grandchildren and a great grandson.

John Keith Winders (Engineering)

1955
Nicholas Henry Dyer (Medicine)
Nicholas Dyer, the son of Ronald (Clare, 1919) was born on 8 March 1937, in Brentwood, Essex. Educated at Clifton College. He came up in 1955 to read medicine, as his father had done before him. Outside his study of medicine, he was particularly fond of jazz and joined the New Orelans Jazzmen playing drums at The Criterion, the Masonic Hall and the Red ballroom, as well as for an ad hoc Clare College band. An occasional sportsman, he would happily turn out for the college’s 2nd teams at cricket and rugby from time to time.
Medicine demanded increasingly more of his time and Nick started out as a doctor at the London Hospital in 1961, enjoying successful spells at the RUH, Bath, and St Bartholomew’s in London. He decided to specialise in the nascent speciality of gastroenterology. Joining the research team at Barts, he explored the medical aspect of Crohn’s disease which was at the time considered to be the prerogative of surgeons and contributed to the British Medical Journal in this area, reviewing articles written by leaders in all aspects of gastroenterology. Nick firmly believed in the principles of the NHS and became a consultant at Worcester. Here he tried to practice holistic medicine involving the whole team, as well as the GP, with each and every patient.
In retirement, Nick returned to many of his former interests. A lifelong learner, he immediately enrolled at Pershore College and undertook a horticultural course, enabling him successfully to further cultivate his large garden. He took an increasing interest in the arts and architecture, travelling around many of Europe’s capital cities with his wife, June. He also expanded his interest in classic jazz and for many years was the treasurer of the Mavern Recorded Jazz Society. However, it was his work reviving the Cambridge Society in Herefordshire and Worcestershire from a somewhat moribund state that he will be remembered by many. He rebuilt the committee and under his innovative leadership, 67 events were organised for the members between 2012 and 2020, taking in the RSC in Stratford, Bletchley Park and the Bodleian Library, as well as some slightly unusual venues such as the Morgan Motor Company and the Kidderminster Carpet Museum. Nick also attracted some memorable speakers, including a former British Ambassador to Russia and an Air Vice Marshall, forested good relationships with neighbouring Cambridge Societies and Oxford Societies and along the way encouraged non-Committee Members successfully to suggest and organise events. Committee meetings under Nick were always a pleasure, not least as they were accompanied by the generous catering and hospitality of his wife and he left a legacy of a well-run organisation with a healthy bank balance, a well-motivated committee and satisfied Membership.
He married June Peacock in 1963; they have a son and a daughter, who continue the medical line of the family.

John Frans "Paul" Richter (Natural Sciences)

1956
Derek Crowther (Medicine)
Derek Crowther was a founding father of medical oncology in the UK. His parents were from Co Durham and moved to London where Derek was born. He won a scholarship to City of London School, where he enjoyed the sport of rowing, which continued when in 1956, he became a Foundation Scholar at Clare and joined the College Boat Club. He graduated in Natural sciences in 1959 and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, enabling polio research at Baylor University Houston. By this time, he had married Margaret who graduated with an art teaching degree from the Hornsey School of Art. However, the honeymoon was shortened as the cargo boat to USA left earlier than expected!
On his return to the UK, he went to St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, graduating MB, BChir (Cantab) in 1963 and MRCP in 1966. Derek then became a Wellcome Research Fellow studying immunology in patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leading to a PhD in 1968. On return to Barts, he wrote a seminal publication in 1970 that demonstrated the high remission rate in acute myelogenous leukaemia with chemotherapy.
Derek’s career took a definitive turn in 1974 on his appointment as Professor and Director of the Department of Medical Oncology at the Christie, Manchester. The Chair was the first of five funded by the Cancer Research Campaign at designated Cancer Centres heralding a new era in UK cancer care. The arrival of Derek Crowther from London, propelled the Christie into a new era of systemic cancer treatment and research for which he and his team became internationally renowned. Among a number of ‘firsts’ were the investigations of G-CSF, a bone marrow growth factor. G-CSF was found to ameliorate chemotherapy induced neutropenia and enhanced the retrieval of peripheral blood stem cells to rescue patients after intensive chemotherapy.
However, Derek was far more than an innovative and successful researcher, he was an excellent and inspiring clinical doctor. Patients and families often commented on his concern, interest and thoughtful explanations. He greatly valued other health professionals and strongly supported the development of specialist nursing.
Derek had boundless enthusiasm, was never unwelcoming and always supportive. He had a wonderful intellectual curiosity, particularly in physics, mathematics and cosmology. Derek’s house and garden was the setting for many parties, often with discussion about one of Margaret’s acclaimed sculptural weavings, and Derek’s interest in theatre and ballet.
In 1996, Derek became seriously unwell with autoimmune disease and retired early in 1997. As his health improved, he devoted more time to his family and grandchildren.
Derek continued Committee and Board work, focusing on clinical trials and improving cancer care in other countries. He invigorated the Manchester Lit and Phil by arranging inspiring speakers for the Young People’s Section.
Derek was inspirational, charismatic and compassionate, with a global reputation, who developed Medical Oncology from its inception to the forefront of cancer research and care.

Michael McMullen (Natural Sciences)
Robin Orr (History)

1957
Richard F Blanchard (Economics)
James Crichton (English)
Edward Farrington (English)

Anthony Tinkel (Modern & Medieval Languages)
Anthony John Tinkel, always known as Tony, was born on the 26th April 1938 in a Convent at East Bergholt in Suffolk where his father helped the nuns to run their farm. When World War II broke out the nuns, for their safety, were dispersed; some joining the Community at Stanbrook Abbey in Worcestershire. The Tinkel family moved with them and the renowned Abbess, Dame Laurentia McLachlan, recognised in Tony a considerable academic talent. She recommended that, despite the fact that it was an Anglican rather than a Roman Catholic school, he be entered for a Scholarship at King’s School, Worcester, which he duly won. He came up to Clare in 1957 with an Exhibition in Modern Languages. At King’s he had developed an interest in rowing and he developed this further during his years at Clare. Though relatively small of stature, he rowed in the bow seat of the First Eight, including at Henley. He loved the sport and coached others throughout his career; one of his proudest possessions was the oar hanging on his wall.
After graduating, Tony worked for a short time at Reuters office in Paris but soon felt the pull of life in the world of teaching. His first post was at Cranbrook School, Kent, where his developing interest in the structure of language led him to spend a year at the University of Essex studying for a degree in Linguistics. Following three years teaching at The Oratory School, Reading, Tony returned to Cambridge as a post- graduate student in the Department of Linguistics. From his days at Essex onwards he had been considering how the study of language might be more effectively presented to older secondary school pupils and those embarking on language courses in higher education. He received much support and encouragement from senior figures in the Department of Linguistics as well as from the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board, which allowed him to initiate an AO level Principles of Language examination. During a brief period teaching at Southlands Girls School, Reading, Tony was elected to a Schoolmaster Fellowship at Selwyn College. He used the term at Selwyn to start writing “Explorations in Language “, which was very well received and became the textbook for the AO course. After Southlands, Tony returned to The Oratory and spent the remainder of his career there, including a period as a Housemaster. On his retirement he was appointed the school’s Archivist, a position to which he was particularly well suited. To coincide with the celebrations of the school’s 150th anniversary in 2009, Tony was asked to write a history of the school. After much research, including several visits to the archives at Arundel Castle, he produced “Cardinal Newman’s School”, which was both scholarly and entertaining.
The same might be said of Tony himself. At the core of his whole life was his Roman Catholic faith, which never wavered. He was a generous but very private person and, although he had many good and long term friends, none ever felt that they really knew him. He enjoyed travel and bridge and no day was complete until he had finished The Times crossword. He never married and his final years were dogged by illness but he was very well cared for and he died peacefully on 14th September, 2023.

1958
Peter Warwick Cutts (Music)
Peter was born on 4 June 1937 in Erdington, Birmingham. He attended King Edward VI High School in Birmingham, where he won an organ scholarship to Clare. However, before beginning his studies he completed two years of National Service. He was based in Aldershot and played piano in the Royal Army Service Corp Staff Band.
In 1958 he was finally able to take up his place to study music at Clare. After graduating in 1961 he continued his studies at Mansfield College, Oxford, where he gained a second degree, this time in Theology.
In 1963 he moved to Huddersfield, starting work as a music lecturer – first at the Huddersfield Technical College and then at the Oastler School of Education. Finally, he was appointed as Warden and Lecturer in Music at Bretton Hall College of Higher Education, where he taught from 1968 to 1989. He is fondly remembered by many of his students, for his musical and teaching abilities but also for his kindness to students and colleagues.
In 1989, Peter moved to Boston, USA, where he worked as Director of Music at Andover-Newton Theological School and as Director of Music at several local churches. He lived in Boston for sixteen years, finally retiring and returning to Huddersfield in 2005.
Peter was a talented organist and hymn composer. He composed over 130 hymn tunes, 90 of which have appeared in print. The best known is Bridegroom, which has been set to a number of texts. He was an active member of the Hymn Societies in both the UK and US. He shared in the Dunblane Consultations on new approaches to hymnody in the 1960s and in 1975 he chaired the editorial committee for the United Reform Church supplement New Church Praise. In 1975 he revised Eric Routley’s English Speaking Hymnal Guide.
Peter never married. He enjoyed hosting enjoyable culinary evenings and at one point he was an occasional reviewer for The Good Food Guide. He loved to travel, frequently visiting Europe as a young man and then travelling widely within the United States and Canada whilst living in Boston.
Having lived an extremely independent life, Peter finally moved to a care home in 2021 and passed away peacefully on 26 January 2024.

Neil Greig (Law)
Nigel Frank Nicholson (Engineering)
Ian Philip (Natural Sciences)

1959
Clive Mason (Geology)
Aged 87, passed away unexpectedly on January 16, 2024 after a brief illness. He was born on February 6, 1936 to Doris (Steventon) and Frank Mason in St. Thomas, ON. Clive attended the University of Western Ontario (BSc and MSc) and Cambridge University (PhD). At Cambridge he was student in the Department of Geology and Geo physics on a Fellowship sponsored by the Shell Company joining a group of world-class scientists at the cutting edge of research into continental drift. He married Elizabeth Hocquard on May 19, 1962, and they had three children. Clive joined the newly formed Bedford Institute of Oceanography in 1963 and spent the rest of his working career there, retiring in 1994. His main contribution at BIO was to reorganise and lead the Coast Oceanography Division. He also took a leading role in the scientific advisory group dealing with the after math of the grounding of the oil tanker Arrow. His interests included the Probus Club, BIO Oceans Association, Halifax and Dartmouth Wine Circle, and traveling the world with his wife Liz. He was an avid camper, played clarinet for the Chebucto Orchestra, supported Neptune Theater, Nova Scotia Symphony and the local arts. He also cherished spending time with his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Elizabeth (Hocquard); sons, Thomas (Jennifer), Jonathan (Brenda), daughter, Sarah; and grandchildren, Lucas, Eric, William, Simon, and Sophie.