The Salopian Summer 2023

SCHOOL NEWS 9
A Tribute to Huw Peach
Waves of deep shock and sadness reverberated throughout the School community when we heard the
news in January that Huw Peach, Head of German, Teacher of French, Head of Model United Nations,
Rowing Coach and House Tutor in The Grove and later in Ingram’s, had been diagnosed with an
inoperable brain tumour. He died nine weeks later, on 7th March, peacefully and at home, surrounded
by his family. On behalf of the School, fellow linguist Thane Warburg pays tribute to a remarkable,
deeply respected and much-loved colleague and friend.
For the Salopian community, young
and old, and perhaps particularly
for those of us with greying hair who
knew him for so long, a Shrewsbury
without Huw seems unthinkable. He
was an ageless and joyous part of all
things Salopian for over 30 years, a
constant presence spreading energy
and positivity wherever he was, in
abundance. That bike speeding around
the Site, the beatific smile, the uplifting
chat, the raft of Commendations, the
help for any colleague in need, the
nodding head expressing affirmation.
He educated, charmed, delighted,
inspired, listened, and counselled all
of us.
At his core were deeply held moral
principles, genuine moral courage
and an infectious love of humanity
and the planet. He was universally
admired, respected and loved, by
the countless pupils he taught, by his
colleagues in the Common Room, by
the whole non-teaching staff. He was
endowed with many gifts, not the least
of which was his joy at generously
giving people time. When you talked
to Huw you automatically became
the most important person in his
world. He gathered new friends at an
extraordinary rate wherever he was
and remained, faithfully, in touch with
them for years and years.When the
shocking diagnosis of his brain tumour
was made just after Christmas, the
Peach family letterbox was very soon
inundated with letters and cards from
hundreds of those whose lives had
been so positively influenced by HRWP.
What becomes crystal clear in reading
these appreciations and tributes is just
how deeply influential Huw’s entire
Weltanschauung has been, and how
it will continue to inform those whose
lives he touched.
How lucky Shrewsbury is to have
had him for so long. After an idyllicsounding
childhood in Oxfordshire
and education at Abingdon School
followed by Hertford College, Oxford
where he read German and French,
he arrived in the Michaelmas Term
of 1991 fresh from two years of TEFL
teaching, on the JET programme, in
Japan. Characteristically he had thrown
himself while there into his teaching,
into learning Japanese and into
environmental issues.
It was clear from the off, that Huw’s
appointment to Shrewsbury was an
inspired one. He was an all-round
schoolmaster and the ultimate team
player, who invested his prodigious
energy and talents into a wide range
of activities. There are far too many to
catalogue here, but picture him playing
football for the Staff Ramblers, speeding
down the wing – his shots sometimes
on target, sometimes decidedly not,
the resulting smile and laughter just
the same whether resulting in Triumph
or Disaster. Throughout his career he
was the most devoted and enthusiastic
rowing coach on the river. It didn’t
matter whether the crew was a top one
or not, the same surge of energy and
encouragement was invested so that
everybody under his instruction felt
they were potential Olympics material.
Every year during Bumps the Umpire
List unfailingly included HRWP and, if a
volunteer was required for the Postors
vs Staff race, guess who was always
there. The ultimate team man. It was
and will remain a treasured memory
for many that Huw was well enough,
early in the new year, to be present
when an RSSBC boat was named
after him and he was presented by a
grateful Boat Club with an oar for his
decades of service and dedication. His
characteristic “Wonderful! Fantastic!”
and smile, a mile wide, summed up his
courage, his joy at being among friends
and the poignancy of the situation.
It was through rowing that Huw met
Sophie, the love of his life, in July
1993. As a Tutor in The Grove, he was
invited to a Bumps Supper hosted by
Sophie’s parents. Things moved swiftly
and they were engaged the following
July and married in July 1995. The
arrivals of Millie, Sam and Zac brought
further joy, pride and fulfilment to
the Peach family. Their move to Clive
House, in the centre of Shrewsbury, 22
years ago, signalled a commitment not
just to the School but to a rich family
involvement in the life of the town
and the county. The Peaches were the
most generous of hosts to so many
and deeply influential in many good
causes, educational and environmental.
Huw was far-sighted in educational
terms, seeing way beyond the
confines of exam boards. Many Old
Salopians will recall the weekly,
fiendishly difficult quiz, focused on
European current affairs, concocted by
Shrewsbury’s European Liaison Officer
– how times have changed - one Huw
Peach, which was posted around
the School and fiercely contested by
Houses. Many will recall the annual
all-day European Conferences also
organised by Huw, one for the Lower