golf - Jules Akel

140 w e l l i ng ton y e a r b oo k 2 0 07 − 2 0 0 8w e l l i ng ton y e a r b oo k 2 0 07 − 2 0 0 8 141major general christopher thompson cbbl 1946–1951OBITUARIESrear-admiral michael kyrle-pope cb, mbes 1930–1934Chris Thompson died on the 9th December 2007.Just 16 days short of what would have been his75th birthday. He came from a distinguishedarmy family and entered Wellington in 1946. From there heprogressed to rma Sandhurst and thence to Sidney SussexCollege, Cambridge where he studied Mechanical Sciences.He started his army career in the Royal Engineers, beingposted to 25 Field Squadron in Germany but it is his workin bomb disposal and subsequently in military mapping thatmakes his career stand out. In that later career he workednot only in the u.k. but in Canada and finally in the UnitedStates, where he served in the American TopographicLaboratories before being appointed Assistant DirectorSurvey Washington dc. After that posting he became coof 42 Survey Engineer Regiment before becoming DeputyDirector of the Ordnance Survey. His final posting wasDirector of Military Survey 1984–1987; upon retirementhe was appointed cb.Finally, the modern army has much to thank ChrisThompson for as he was at the forefront of the developmentof computerised mapping utilising satellite imagery.The ow Year Book of 1934 lists M.D. Pope as part in World Word II. He was captured in July 1940 andthe recipient of the Elton Prize for Geography. was to spend the next 5 years in prisoner of war camps inGiven the extraordinary scope of his subsequent both Italy and Germany. As one might imagine he madenaval career, never was a prize so apt.numerous escape attempts—and for his leadership in thisMichael Kyrle-Pope (he changed his name in 1946) role he was appointed mbe in 1956. He was appointedserved in the Senior Service between 1934–1969 and a cb upon retiring from the Navy and went on to workduring those three and half decades he was a submariner, for inter alia, Hawker Siddeley and St Albans Abbey. Aan officer on the battle ship Vanguard, a member of the joint current Lay Canon of the Abbey remembers him well asservices mission to the u.s.a. and a co-ordinator of our he played such a dynamic role in the construction of thenaval intelligence in West Germany. His final position was new Chapter House and in the re-roofing of the nave.as Chief of Staff to the Commandering Chief of Combined He died at the age of 91 years, a great ow with worldForces in the Far East.wide interests but his feet planted firmly on English soil.Perhaps his biggest regret was not to take a more activecolonel david owen dso, obel 1930–1934 (head of house)Othe right reverend david young cbehg 1945–1950n page 5 of the 1950 Year Book under the heading Further academic posts followed at the universities ofFrew Prizes, Mathematics: Open to University Manchester and Cambridge before he became ArchdeaconSets is the name of D. N. De L. Young. That he of Huntingdon and then Bishop of Ripon—a post in whichwent on to take a 1st in Mathematics at Balliol was thus not he served with distinction for 22 years. However, hea surprise but that this son of a Brigadier should go on to did not confine himself to ministering to the Parishes ofbecome one of this country’s leading clerics perhaps was. North Yorkshire as he also committed much of his energyDavid Young trained at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford before and intellect to church initiatives such as the Partnershipbecoming a curate in Liverpool. One might expect the for World Mission and the Church of England’s Board ofusual list of Parishes and Sees, but David Young showed Education. He was not one for the politics of the Generalan extraordinary breadth in his religious interests. After Synod although his speeches from the Bishops’ Benches instudying at s.o.a.s. he travelled to Ceylon (as it was then) the House of Lords on education and other social issuesto become director of Buddhist Studies at the Theological marked him out as one of the leading Anglican thinkers ofCollege of Lanka.his time.David Owen died on October 2007 at the age of91. After a distinguished career at Wellington heentered rma, Woolwich and was commissionedinto the Royal Artillery by Edward viii. His subsequentmilitary career was marked by exploits of great braveryand courage, particularly shown at Dunkirk, a view thatwas confirmed by the citation for his dso awarded afterequivalent acts of bravery in Italy, in 1945.His commanding officer wrote: “Owen has carried outdeployment duties with great gallantry, duties which areonly too easy to shirk. He has commanded the regimentfor long periods with complete success. He well deserveshis dso”.After the war he continued in the ra being deputycommandant of the School of artillery. Subsequentlyhe worked at the British Embassy in Washington beforefinishing his military career as Assistant Adjutant Generalin the manning directorate of the Ministry of Defence.Upon retirement in 1971 his was appointed obe.Always a keen sportsman (the army saw him a potentialboxing champion) he continued his interest in the outdoorlife until well into his eighties.“Smajor acton gibbon gmpn 1938–1942pud” Gibbon was a child of The Empire. Born 1951 he was captured by the Chinese in Korea and wasin Burma he spent his early years in India before subsequently tortured. For his inspirational courage hetravelling to the u.k. for his education.was awarded the George Medal—the only one awardedGiven the exigencies of war it was hardly suprising during that campaign.that he did not complete his University education as the After further service in Hong Kong he retired fromarmy beconned. He saw action in the Low Countries and the Army and embarked on a second career as a farmerGermany, being one of the first to enter Belsen.in Northern Ireland. He was appointed Deputy LordPost war he served in both India and Palestine. In Lieutenant of Tyrone in 1974.