Requiescat in Pace: "A little old man passed away today in Suffolk who will mean little or nothing to most of you, but for nearly everyone who, like me, was a pupil at Woolverstone Hall from 1958 until he left in 1985 disgusted with the way that politicians ruined the school (deliberately in his view), he was one of the greatest influences on their lives.

He was my housemaster in Orwell House for the seven years I spent at the school and he introduced me and countless others to the joy of playing and singing music; he taught me how to play rugby; and, in my first term he taught me Latin, including my first sentence (Amo mensam - but knowing how to say: 'I love the table' never did much to enhance my amorous intent, even in Ikea), but far more importantly he taught me about responsibility and accountability; about caring and concern for others; about striving to give of my best when it would have been easier to slope off and let others do the hard yards.

The world was very different in 1963 when I went away as a boarder, a cocky little Cockney chancer, and I fell out with him with monotonous regularity, but when I left in 1970, I was essentially the man I am today and, probably, I owe more to him for that than anyone before or since. His name was Derek Thornbery and we all called him Doc (his first two initials were D.R.). He was a little man in stature, but for me and countless others he was a giant; and though tonight our hearts are aching, tomorrow we will be strong in memory of him."