University College Oxford Record 2020

in a large punt. The crew would then change,
unshowered, into shore clothes and belt back to
College through the meadows hoping the “rugger
buggers” hadn’t nicked all the hot water! He also
joined the Oxford University Air Squadron; his
father having been a Royal Flying Corps pilot in
World War One and having been fascinated by
his father’s flying stories.
Michael went on to have a distinguished
career in the RAF and considered himself as a
“Cold Warrior”, in line with the political climate
of the time. He learned to fly on Tigermoths
with the OUAS until 1949, then graduated as a
full RAF pilot in 1951. He was soon identified as
having instructor potential so was creamed off
and qualified in 1952 as a flying instructor on
the Harvard, and in 1954 on the Meteor. He was
then dispatched to the fighter reconnaissance
squadron 208 based in Abu Sueir, Egypt. On his
return from the Middle East, there was a period
of conversion and refresher courses on other
planes, followed by a stressful tour with the US
Air Force flying the T33 and U2 in 1958-60, at
which point he was promoted to Squadron
Leader and awarded the Air Force Cross. There
followed a posting to RAF Tangmere, where he
flew Vampires, and in 1961, newly married, a
posting as Commanding Officer of the Edinburgh
University Air Squadron. After a year of Staff
College in 1964, Michael was promoted to Wing
Commander in 1966 while on a tour of duty at
MOD, and then in 1967 took up the demanding
command of 50 Squadron at RAF Waddington,
a Vulcan V Force squadron. Following a posting
to Strike HQ at High Wycombe in 1969, he
embarked on a staff exchange posting with the
USAF in 1972 and flew T39s. Subsequently, apart
from a three-year tour as Air Attaché in Turkey
from 1977-80, the rest of Michael’s RAF career
was dedicated to MOD-based consultancy and
defence intelligence posts, which he continued
as a civil servant for a further six years after his
retirement from the RAF in 1983.
He retired and settled in Devon with his
wife in 1989, but maintained an active interest
in the British Legion, his beloved 208 Squadron
Association, and kept up with Univ news till the
end, especially concerning the “Dinosaurs”.
1947:
FRANCIS PETER EDMUND GARDNER
(Eton) died on 20 December 2019 aged 91.
He read Chemistry at Univ, and then returned
to Eton in 1950 to teach Physics there until his
retirement in 1992. While there, he was also a
housemaster and a games master. He also wrote
a textbook, Basic Notes on Advanced Level Physics
(1966). Outside his school work, he was awarded
the Order of St John Medal and two bars. In later
years he retired to Cornwall. Francis Gardner
was married with four children and eleven
grandchildren.
THE REVD CANON ALAN HAROLD
FRANK LUFF
(Bristol GS) died on 16 April 2020 aged 91. At Univ
he read Classics and then Theology. This shortened
version of an obituary prepared for the Hymn
Society of Great Britain and Ireland is provided by
kind permission of its author, Michael Garland:
Alan was born in Bristol and attended Bristol
Grammar School and University College, Oxford.
During his military service in Germany, Alan was
befriended by the Chaplain, Meirion Roberts,
who introduced him to the Welsh language and
also to his future wife Enid. On his return he was
ordained deacon in 1956 and priest in 1957,
and his first appointments were in the Diocese
60 University College Record | October 2020