The Record 2006 - Keble College - University of Oxford

The Life of the College
grace for which he was christened The Bishop, a name that stayed
with him throughout his career.
He spent the early part of the war training the ever growing number
of equipment officers, first at Halton then at Grange-over-Sands. In
1942 he attended No 1 War Staff College Course and after three
months was posted to General Eisenhower’s HQ in Norfolk House,
St James Square as Wing Commander Logistic Plans (RAF). Here
they planned in great secrecy Operation Torch, the invasion and
occupation of French North Africa. He landed in Algiers on D+2
and within days was moving forward into Tunisia with the 1st
Army, being mentioned in Despatches ( June 1943). Recalled to
Algiers, he joined the Joint Planning Staff for Operation Husky the
invasion of Sicily. Landing again on D+2 he was with the HQ Staff
in Sicily and then, following the successful crossing of the Messina
Straights, at San Spirito near Bari in Southern Italy. Involved in the
planning of the Salerno landing, he was flown into the bridgehead
on D+7 and then back to Tunisia to report on the serious situation
at Salerno. Shortly afterwards he was awarded the OBE. 1944 was
spent at the rear HQ in Algiers and then he returned to Italy, the
HQ there having moved to Udine in northern Italy.
After the war he was a member of the Joint Plans Staff in Whitehall
and then became an Instructor at the Royal Air Force College
Cranwell (1948–50). Having commanded No 9 Maintenance Unit,
he then went to Washington as an Exchange Officer, returning
to England in 1954 to attend the Joint Services Staff College. He
was Deputy Director of Equipment and then Senior Equipment
Staff Officer in Cyprus. He attended the Imperial Defence College
and was appointed Director of Mechanical and Marine Craft.
His last appointment was as Senior Air Staff Officer Maintenance
Command. He was awarded the CB in 1967.
On retiring from the Royal Air Force in 1969, he became the
first senior RAF officer to be appointed Domestic Bursar of an
Oxford college. He succeeded the late Charles Bourne at Keble
and one of his first tasks was in connection with the College’s
Centenary celebrations. He thoroughly enjoyed his work and as he
remarked, ‘you never knew what would land on the Bursar’s desk’.
He remembered being phoned in the middle of the night, after a
very heavy storm, by the College Porter who announced that ‘the
Chaplain’s got water in his organ pipes’. He retired from Keble in
1977 and was made an Emeritus Fellow in March 1981. Jack and
Heather then had nearly 30 years of retirement in which to pursue
their joint interest in travel and golf. He is fondly remembered by
his wife Heather, daughter Judy, son Erik, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
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