Page 129 - OO_2018

1936
A. Sturgis (Ldr) died 10th June 2018.
J.B. Wood (D)
died 8th January 2017.
1938
P. Carpmael (B)
died 10th January 2018.
His sons – Patrick, John and James – write: “Our father got himself a bit of a name during his time at Oundle in the 1930s. His taste for athletic challenges reinforced the rumour that it was he who was responsible when a potty was spotted balanced on some dizzying architectural feature – though he himself always steadfastly denied it. However, the photo in our family album of a young man exercising a handstand (see above) on the chimney stack of a two- storey house is authentic Carpmael and makes it easy to understand how the story got about.
“Right up to when he died this January, his memories of his time at Oundle were mixed. On the one hand,
he professed not to have relished his education, to have stood mulishly on the sidelines, to have been critical even when living through it of the ‘stuffiness’ of the period, of the pettiness of boarding school life, its insularity, its self- importance. Even at 97 years of age, the indignity of having been sent away from home to so bleak an institution still rankled. It was something of a subversive act, therefore, to spurn conventional sporting options in favour of athletics, then rated a minor branch of physical activity. He remembered during his final year standing to one side as boys filed out of assembly so that members of the athletic team could report to him in his capacity as captain.
“We have since heard differently of the Oundle of the 1930s, which was remembered by others as very much ahead of its time in terms of its enlightened attitudes – and we do indeed suspect that our father gained more from his time there than he was willing to let on. He often recalled with pleasure the brilliance of Modern Languages teacher Arthur Marshall, the gales of laughter which marked where he was teaching, while he himself came away with a lifelong love of serious reading; Marlowe, Joyce and Byron were special favourites.
“Memories of the North African Campaign and the Battle for Monte Cassino, both of which followed hard upon his school career, haunted his later life, his serious injuries from the explosion of a mortar shell a permanent reminder, while his achievements as Secretary of the Blue Cross animals charity were much later recognised in the award of an MBE. The loss of his beloved wife, Ann, overshadowed his final years, but he was never short of visitors.”
Ted Maslen-Jones (Ldr)
died 16th March 2018.
His friend, Andrew Simkins, writes: “Ted passed away in Chatterwood Nursing Home in Hampshire following a short illness. Our thoughts are with his son, Michael, and his three stepdaughters,
Patricia, Susan and Diane.
“Ted was commissioned into the
Royal Artillery on 5th July 1940 and was posted to 119 Field Regiment RA based in Northern Ireland. He volunteered for pilot training and was awarded his Air Observation Wings at RAF Old Sarum in early 1943, prior to his posting to 656 Air Observation Post Squadron RAF at RAF Westley.
“After a period of intense training, the squadron was posted to India, to undertake preparations for operations in Burma as part of the Fourteenth Army. The squadron was the only such unit in theatre and undertook tasks across the whole Army front.
“Over the next 18 months Captain Ted Maslen-Jones proved a daring pilot who was singled out for solo operations. He was, consequently, awarded both a Military Cross and a Distinguished Flying Cross, a feat only achieved by one other Army pilot. He also received two mentions in dispatches and a Certificate of Gallantry.
“Once back in the UK and discharged from the Army, he completed his Agriculture degree at Brasenose College, Oxford, and undertook a career in the agricultural supply industry.
“Upon retirement, he wrote a book about his wartime experiences, Fire by Order. The book has received critical and sales success. For the last 20 years of his life he cared for his housebound wife, Jill.
“He was an active member of 656 Squadron Association and was its
President for five years. He also prided
himself on having attended every Air Observation Post Officers' Association www
OBITUARIES
Obituaries
THE OLD OUNDELIAN 2017 –2018
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