Obituaries

16th February 2009

It is with regret that I have to advise all members that

today we lost a great friend of the Association. I know you will all join me in sending our condolences to the family of Sir Ernest Harrison (1937) OBE who passed away early today.

He was born on the 11th May 1926 in Hackney, the son of a casual dock-worker (hard times during the 30’s getting 2 days work if you were lucky). His mother made neckties to supplement the family income. The family eventually moved to Wood Green, where he won a scholarship and joined Trinity County School. In 1939 he was evacuated with the school to Hatfield Peverel, and was well known for several moves of billet. He was an

enthusiastic footballer, and eventually became a shareholder in Arsenal football club.

Leaving school with academic success in mathematics, he was steered into a career in

Accountancy with his studies interrupted by a spell in the Fleet Air Arm. Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1950, he joined Racal Electronics in 1951, where he spent the next 48 years taking the company from strength to strength until its break-up in 1999.

Outmanoeuvring Cellnet in 1983 he acquired the first licence for mobile phones when few could have forecast the potential for growth, invented Vodaphone and built it into the

success it has become. He was renowned for his leadership skills in management and on

retirement, leaving well alone. His other progeny was Chubb Security floated in 1992.

With his success in business and subsequent retirement he was able to turn his skills to other fields.

He was Chairman of the Royal Free Hospital Cancer Research Trust.

An elected member of the Jockey Club (Individuals are elected on their knowledge and experience of horse-racing and the contribution they are able to make in the Jockey club achieving their aims)

An Honorary Fellow of University College London

A Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Scrivenors of the City of London

and has a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery

He was a Life Member of Trinity Old Scholars Association and will be best remembered by his contemporaries of year 37, for his annual gatherings at the Dorchester hotel and his involvement in the publishing of Trinity—A School with a Past.

Sir Ernest is survived by his wife Janie, their two daughters and a son, and two sons by a

previous marriage.

There will be a private family funeral

Maisie Joyce Taylor (Hitchcock 1939)

The following arrived via the website from Maisie’s daughter on the 12th February 2009.

This is to advise any past students of 39/40 entry & those who would have left approx 43/44 that my mum passed away in August 2008. I know she had a memorable time at Trinity & those days were very precious to her. I also know that she had some very good friends there. Therefore I thought I would just let you know in case any of your fellow students should remember her. If by chance anyone has any class photo with her in it I would be most grateful if you could contact me. To confirm my mum's maiden name was Hitchcock. She married Donald Taylor in 1952 at St Andrew's Church Wood Green. Maisie lived in 13 Fletton Road, Wood Green & then 26 Durnsford Road, Bounds Green. She gained entry to Trinity by passing the 11 plus exams. She had a sister Shirley Christine Hitchcock born 1938, & a brother John Edward Hitchcock born 1923. She spoke of friends Agnes (I think there were 2) a Beryl, & a Jean Wilson. Also of a family that I think had a surname of Fawney, who also lived in Durnsford Road. She left Trinity when she was 15 yrs old I believe to begin work as a secretary. I have looked at the photos on the website but no one stood out. Mum was very unusual looking for the times as she had thick black wavy hair. blue eyes & high cheek bones which made her look 'foreign'.

I hope this information is useful to you.

Editors Note .Unfortunately, Maisie was not a member of the Association, nor on our original

database.. So any memories anyone may have, would be most welcome amd we will forward to Christine..

We would like to express our condolences to Christine and other members of Maisie's family

The passing of Laurence (Nobby) (1934)Clark on the 1st April 2009 will be met with regret from those who knew him well, and remember his lively attendance at the Bournemouth reunions with his wife Joyce (1935). Our condolences are sent to Joyce and the family.

Funeral is on Friday 17th April at 12.15pm at the Chiltern Crematorium, Whielden Lane, Amersham, HP7 0ND

Family Flowers only please. Donations to Helen House Hospice

14A Magdalen Road

Oxford, OX4 1RW

Nobby remembered by Joyce Clark

Although born in England on 6th July 1922, he spent his first five years in the Sudan, close to Khartoum. He told tales of his life there with his 'boy' Magami, who kept an eye on him. On one occasion, when Nobby was about to step on a scorpion, Magami pushed him aside and trod on it himself. He then took out a knife and cut out a piece of his own foot to prevent the poison spreading!

Returning to England at the age of 6, he was a boarder in Folkestone, looked after by his grandmother during holidays. When his parents returned from abroad, he went to school at St. Michael's, Wood Green and then to Trinity County School. With his parents moving to Finchley he left Trinity and went to Christ's College in Finchley.

On leaving school, he joined H.J. Heinz and remained there until he was 18 when he volunteered for the army. He was in the Royal West Kents for training and successfully applied for a commission. Posted to the newly formed Reconnaissence Corps and sent to North Africa, he celebrated his 21st birthday in Tunis.

Then on to Italy, landing at Salerno and taking part in the whole Italian campaign, including Monte Casseno. He was lucky to come through, although not without damage. He was standing by a wall when it was hit by a shell,that blasted a large hole in the wall and killing two chaps who were with him. He had serious damage to his ears and was in hospital for a long time. On recovery, it seemed to have affected his hearing and in fact all the nerves had been destroyed in one ear. Latterly, deafness occurred in the other one.

He came home in August 1945 and was married in September, returning after leave to Italy. He was demobbed in August 1946.

He started business life in a local garage in Enfield, but then moved on to Bond Street, London, selling Ferraris, Aston Martins, Bentleys etc., which he loved. He then moved into finance and retired age 61.

He had an active life - tennis, squash, hobbies and DIY.

After moving to Farnham Common, he was instrumental in starting a cricket club, and with the purchase of some ground (and hard work!) a Sports Club was born 50 years ago. Many sports and Keep Fit activities prevailed, and Nobby rose from committee member to President, from which post he retired 10 years ago. He was very proud of this Club.

We are sorry to learn of the passing of Miss Ann Chopin, a former teacher at Trinity Grammar School. Her niece

Dr.Karin Chopin writes:

I write to inform you of the death of my aunt, Ann Chopin, on the 23rd June aged 99 & 1/2 years. Auntie's end was

swift and kind: she had a heart attack in her sleep and died peacefully a few hours later in our local community hospital

in Dartmouth with myself at her bedside. She had enjoyed an outing to the beach with a friend only two days before she

died.

Auntie remained in extraodinarily robust good health right up until her death,let down only by her poor eyesight and arthritic knees. I visited her the evening before she died and she interogated me about her tax return which she was

still able to mastermind! She retained her acute mind, her sense of humour & her insistence upon the highest standards

until the very end. Her final resting place is to be alongside her mother at Watts Cemetary in Compton near Guildford in

Surrey.

Having had the privilege of reading through her correspondence, I know there are many men and women out there who are indebted to her for her inspired teaching.

Thank you for keeping her in touch with Trinity Old Scholars Association.

John Ghafur (1951) remembers:

I was very sorry to hear the sad news of my former school teacher Ann Choppin’s death. Ann was an excellent teacher and that is why I wished to keep in touch with her many years later. She was always firm but fair. She used to come in the class room with the exam results under her arm and say “Ye that have tears prepare to shed them now”. The class was poor at précis (essential then for English language O level) and so my barrister father made me go to the library after school and summarise or précis the Times leader columns. Eventually this helped me so much so that Ann asked me to stand up and tell the class how I was able to do it when they were unable to. I was too embarrassed to say what I had done and so I made up another reason. Years later when I reunited with Ann I wrote and told her.

Ann corrected me at school in at least to respects that I recall :the word ‘perhaps’ had somehow become ‘prehaps’ and a childhood account of devouring ‘Victorian’ plums was rightly corrected to Victoria plums! I will always also remember that she and Sylvia Hall gave me and other pupils free private tuition just before our A level English exams .

My favourite books with Ann and the class were Prester John by John Buchan ;The Esays of Elia Charles Lamb;and the poems of Robert Browning. I still have my A Level Browning Exercise book and my school report ; both with Ann’s comments .

I enjoyed her teaching very much and used my knowledge of précis in my subsequent legal career to e.g. summarise cases. Ann would no doubt have been pleased to see my return last year to the bar as a barrister of Lincoln’s Inn (after 27 years as a solicitor) and am now once again the proud owner of my wig and gown . I give talks to WI groups and similar bodies and always carry my précis book with me and recount the above story in my talk entitled ‘From Soho Clubs to the House of Lords the career of a London solicitor.’ I recall how the 4 platforms of verse; speaking contests;school plays;précis and Latin helped me to become a lawyer.