march 2009 - Fitzwilliam College - University of Cambridge

THE REVD CANON ERIC PAUL FORSHAW (1968)
Eric Forshaw was born on 15 July 1942 and was
educated at London University, where he took a
BSc degree in engineering in 1963. After serving as
an assistant plant manager at Rolls Royce in Derby,
he came to Ridley Hall in 1967 to read for ordination.
He joined Fitzwilliam in 1968 in order to take the
Certificate in Theology, and was ordained in
Birmingham in 1970. After a curacy in Yardley he
became an Industrial Chaplain in Birmingham from
1972 to 1978, and then moved to Nottingham as
Bishop’s Adviser on Industry and Society from 1978
to 1990. He remained in this sphere of work first as
Bishop’s Research Officer and then as Programme
Director for Nottingham Common Purpose. He died
in November 2007.
MICHAEL GEORGE HALL, OBE (1950)
Michael Hall was born on 23 March 1928 in Streatham,
and was educated at Archbishop Tenison’s and Colwyn
Bay Grammar Schools. After National Service with
the RASC, including some time in Kenya, he came up
to Fitzwilliam in 1950 to read Natural Sciences and
graduated in 1952. He was Captain of soccer and cricket
and also played rugby for the House. In 1953 he became
Assistant Master at Brentwood School, Essex where
he taught Chemistry. He joined the CCF, becoming
Contingent Commander, and acted with the
Pedagogues (the staff drama group). In 1982 he
became Head of Science, then Second Master, and saw
the school through a great period of change, including
the admission of girls into the sixth form – his daughter
being the first girl ever to attend Brentwood School –
and eventually the building of a girls’ school in its
entirety. He was awarded the OBE in 1989 for services
to the cadet force, Brentwood having one of the largest
CCFs in the country with Army, Navy and Air Force
sections. Described as ‘kind, thoughtful, professional
and inspirational’ he retired in 1991 and subsequently
lived near Colchester and in North Wales, until his
death on 18 May 2008.
RICHARD JOHN HERBERT (1947)
John Herbert was born on 5 September 1925 in
Clapham, and was educated at Wimbledon College
and Beaumont College. After war service in the RAF he
came up to Fitzwilliam in 1947 to read Law, graduating
in 1949 and securing an LLB in 1950. He subsequently
became a solicitor and a partner in Lawrence Messer,
Solicitors in the City of London. Following his
retirement he moved to Ireland, where he died on
4 December 2007.
GORDON FRANK HIRD (1945)
Gordon Hird was born on 22 June 1920 in Bradford
and was educated at Altrincham Grammar School.
He joined the Merchant Navy in late 1939 and served
throughout the war. In 1945 he came up to Fitzwilliam
in order to read Economics; he was active in the Boat
Club and was General Secretary of the Amalgamated
Clubs in his final year. After graduating he took a
position with the Road Haulage Executive, but
eventually moved to teach in Further Education, ending
his career as Principal of North Devon College. He
retired to Linton, Cambridgeshire and died in
December 2007.
BRIAN RICHARD HOGBEN (1957)
Brian Hogben was born on 30 November 1938 in
Mitcham and was educated at the Skinners’ School,
Tunbridge Wells. He came up Fitzwilliam in 1957 to
read Veterinary Medicine, where he also took an active
part in rugby and rowing. After graduation he married
Shirley and left England to work for the Tanzanian
Government working for two years to protect cattle
in the vicinity of the Serengeti National Park against
Rinderpest. His next major post was as a Chief
Veterinary Officer in charge of a large meat
processing facility with the New Zealand Department
of Agriculture. After three years in the UK working for
the Ministry of Agriculture, he moved to the European
Commission in Brussels in 1973 just after the UK had
joined the EEC. Hogben and his Irish Colleague, Joe
Caffrey, quickly established a small veterinary team in
Brussels, he taking charge of the food safety side. The
principal objective was to ensure that imports were
safe; harmonisation of the internal market came later.
Hogben was an absolute champion for high standards
and would not consider anything less than perfection
throughout the whole of the food chain, at a time when
others were only concerned with the final product.
He fought to establish the ban on hormonal growth
promoters, which is in place to this day, and might be
called the father of European food hygiene. Hogben
retired to the South West of France where he renovated
an old stone farmhouse and enjoyed his garden. He
died of cancer on 26 October 2007, leaving his wife,
four sons and a daughter.
ALLAN RUSHMERE HOWLETT (1954)
Allan Howlett was born on 19 September 1932 at
Kelsale, Suffolk, and was educated at Varndean County
Grammar School for Boys, Brighton. He came up to
Fitzwilliam in 1954 to read English, graduating in 1957.
Howlett took an active part in the Ralph Somerset
(Debating) Society and appeared for the Footlights.
Although he tried from time to time to enter teaching,
he remained in his first career in advertising – being
an advertising executive for Sainsburys for many years.
He died on 21 May 2008.
DR DAVID REES HUGHES (1947)
David Hughes was born on 23 April 1926 on the Isle
of Anglesey and was educated at Manchester Grammar
School and Eccles Grammar School. Having begun a
course at Manchester University he trained as a seagoing
Radio Officer in 1943 and from 1944 to 1947
served as a Naval Radio Officer on convoys in the
Mediterranean, Indian Atlantic and Pacific Oceans;
he was shipwrecked twice during the landings on the
Normandy beaches in 1944. He came up to Fitzwilliam
in 1947 to read Geography, graduating in 1949 and
staying on to do Archaeology and Anthropology in
1949–50. He joined the Overseas Civil Service in
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