Page 62 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2017

62 OBITUARIES

JOHN RICHARD ROSKELL ATTLEY

OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1940 - 1946
DECEMBER 1928 - JANUARY 2017

John passed away peacefully at his home in Cobourg, Ontario,
surrounded by his family, on January 25th 2017 at the age of 88.
He was the beloved and devoted husband of Barbara, and brother
of Joan and David. He was the loving father of Clare, Martha, Mark
(78) and Timothy, and cherished Poppa of Stephanie, James,
Richard, John, William, Katy, Thomas, Daniel, George, Victoria,
Ben, Henry and Lily. He was also the proud great-grandfather of
Noah, Jack (Attley), Molly and Jack (Campbell).

John was born and raised in Northamptonshire, England, and he
eventually settled in Canada in 1976. He was a loving husband,
father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend to all
those whom he touched with his life. We will all remember his
sense of humour and ‘Poppaisms’.

Mark Attley (78)
Son

In October 2004, John wrote to the Ratcliffian Association,
updating us about what he had done over the years. It is our
great pleasure to publish this, below:

“Firstly, I should fill you in a little, as you request, about
myself. I was born in Northampton in December 1928. I went to
Westminster Cathedral Choir School from 1938 to 1940. At that
time, the Choir School was disbanded, as we had been evacuated
to Sussex, which was then almost on the front line. As a result, I
started at Ratcliffe in September 1940. As a matter of interest,
one or two notable boys who did well in the theatrical world were Barbara, in June 1954. We have four children - Clare, Martha,
in the same class as me for most of the time that I was there: Mark and Timothy, and twelve grandchildren. We celebrated our
Ian Bannen (46) and Patrick McGoohan (46). I left Ratcliffe in Golden Wedding Anniversary this year. We were fortunate to be
1946, and after spending time at the Northampton College of able to be in Rome on the day of our anniversary, and we went to
Technology and Leeds University, I worked in the leather industry Mass in St Peter’s on that day. It was a very moving occasion and
and the chemical supply industry until 1955, when I had the something that I had always wanted to do.”
opportunity to take a position in Canada, where I now live. I came
back to England in 1965 and stayed until 1976, during which Mark Attley (78) has told the Association that a couple more
time, my son, Mark (78), was at Ratcliffe; he did considerably grandchildren and four great grandchildren have come along
better than me on the sports field, getting his Colours in rugby since 2004!
and cricket! My company asked me to go back to Canada in 1976,
and we did. My family are all in Canada, but they visit England John’s wartime memories of Ratcliffe can be found on page 65 of
on a regular basis, as I have done in the past. I married my wife, the ‘Ratcliffe’s Past’ section.

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