The Salopian no. 157 - Winter 2015

OLD SALOPIAN NEWS 75
John Edwards (SH 1949-54)
John entered School House Shrewsbury from Packwood
Haugh in 1949 and clearly enjoyed his time there. His
passion for rowing was paramount, especially the days
away rowing at regattas.
John possessed a special wit and humour much enjoyed by
his school mates and even prompted his House Master, Mr
Anthony Chenevix-Trench, on one occasion to remark to
his parents that if all else failed, their son would find work
on the stage. As it turned out, he became an auctioneer and
was never happier than on the rostrum with an appreciative
audience.
Sight problems prevented him doing National Service, so
he went to London College of Estate Management followed
by a year’s practical with Russell, Baldwin and Bright,
auctioneers in Leominster. Eventually he joined his father in
the family firm Campbell & Edwards in Llandrindod Wells.
John soon settled in with the way of local farmers and
buyers at weekly livestock markets in Builth Wells, Rhayader
and Penybont and in his prime would carry a ‘poor trade’
which would be admired by all.
“He appeared to have complete mastery and control over
the auction, an incredible memory for names and kind
words, or the occasional ‘put down’ for those who deserve
it, always with his special sense of humour.”
As new sheep breed societies developed and sheep
numbers increased, John decided to move the large annual
autumn ewe sales to the Royal Welsh Showground at
Llanelwedd. Each of these sales took several days to set up
on different sites on the showground, involving extra staff to
erect sheep pens, co-ordination of catalogues and so on.
These weeks heaped a large amount of strain on John, but
he also took some pride in knowing that at one time they
were the largest sheep sales in Europe.
In 1965 his father retired and Campbell & Edwards merged
with Russell, Baldwin & Bright across the border in
Herefordshire. John became a director and at boardroom
meetings became famous for his ‘one liners’, as well as
‘adding enthusiasm and inspiration to his colleagues’.
John helped create the auctions at the Royal Welsh Winter
Fayre which was on a par with Smithfield’s Christmas
Fatstock. Yet some of John’s happiest working moments
were conducting furniture sales in the local Church Hall,
which were for many regular attendees a social occasion.
They didn’t come to bid, but to enjoy John’s kindly banter.
He was much missed by the farming community and
buyers from many parts of the country when he took early
retirement, and he had always been a much loved and
respected employer.
John died in March 2015 and is survived by his wife Brenda.
They lost their beloved only child, Caroline, in 1978 when
she was only 13½, leaving a gap in their lives that could
never be filled.
Richard Foster-Pegg (Rt 1933-37)
Richard Foster-Pegg was born in Derbyshire, son of the
chaplain to the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth.
During the Second World War he worked as an apprentice
engineer at Rolls-Royce and was involved in the
development of the Merlin engine for the Spitfire and of
early jet engines and turbines. In the 1950s he worked as
a mechanical engineer for the Canadian Government on
coal-fired gas turbines at McGill University and later for the
Bechtel Corporation and for Westinghouse as a designer
of advanced power plants. He acted world-wide as a
consultant and lecturer on power generation, as well as
working for the Department of Energy as a designer.
He was a member of the British Institute of Mechanical
Engineers, the Institute of Energy and the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers and had numerous patents in the
design of turbines for electric power generation.
He died on 20th April 2015 aged 95 and is survived by
Frances, his beloved wife of 67 years, his daughter, Perri,
five grandchildren and one great-grandson. His son Timothy
pre-deceased him.
Keith Fraser (O 1950-55)
A tribute written by John Lavelle (DB 1950-56):
Ian Grant Keith Fraser; four very Scottish names. His family,
luckily for us, decided to settle in Shrewsbury, moving from
the Scottish borders where they had been evacuated, and
thus began a friendship which endured more than 70 years.
Keith was born in Guernsey, but the family had to abandon
their home and all their belongings, bar one suitcase, to flee
the Channel Islands. Before embarking on the last boat to
leave, his father drove the family car into the sea to avoid its
capture by the Germans.
We were at Prestfelde Prep School together and then at The
Schools. Although Keith’s home, Red Roofs, overlooked
the School Site, he was a boarder in Oldham’s. An above
average wing half, he played for the School 1st X1. I
don’t remember him as a serious cricketer but he was a