Page 58 - Hi Res - OR-2016

58 OBITUARIES

CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH PADBURY

OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1948 - 1953
DECEMBER 18TH 1935 - SEPTEMBER 20TH 2016

Chris, as he was known, was born in Great Billing. Chris married Mollie in 1963, and they had two sons and two
Northamptonshire. He was the third oldest child in a family of granddaughters. After his retirement from the brewery, he took
three sisters and one brother - Laurence Padbury (55). up farming and became a director of Yorks Coach and Travel
Company. He was also an active member of the Northampton
He was educated at both Grace Dieu and Ratcliffe College. Chris Catenian Association and Rotary Club.
was a keen sportsman, representing Ratcliffe at cricket, rugby
and hockey. Chris’ death was a shock for everybody who knew him. He will be
greatly missed.
When he left Ratcliffe, Chris was called up for National Service,
and he served in Germany in the Dragoon Guards for two years. Mark Padbury
After National Service, he started a career in the brewery industry Son
with the Northampton Brewery Company, retiring after 25 years.

JOHN BRIAN REID

OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1951 - 1956
1938 - 2015

We all knew John as Brian, and he came to
Ratcliffe from what he described as a horror
school run by sadists! Arriving at Ratcliffe was
a happy escape and, although already in his
early teens, he fitted in very quickly.

Brian was a keen member of the Rowing Club
and, although on the quiet side, he had a dry
and quirky sense of humour. An illustration
of this, relayed to me by a friend of Brian’s
in the Sixth Form, was a throwaway remark
following a Physics lesson: “You know, this
theory of quantum mechanics will prove
to the 20th century the equivalent of the
Phlogiston theory” - something for those
non-scientist readers to look up! Although
Brian was an exceptional Physics student, it
may have been his challenging approach that
influenced his eventual choice of Engineering
at university.
John (far right) in the Rowing Club
Brian progressed to Kings College at the
University of London, qualifying both as a civil engineer and, As a younger man, Brian thoroughly enjoyed gliding silently
subsequently, a structural engineer. One of his earliest projects above the clouds; in later years, he came down to earth, flying
was the Clywedog dam in Wales, which, at 72 metres high, is the model aeroplanes locally and travelling worldwide to promote his
tallest of its kind in Great Britain. computer flight simulator. He also loved to sail, often at Itchenor,
West Sussex. In addition, Brian was a prolific reader and was
In 1962, Brian married Pauline and went on to have a son, Mark, self-taught in many subjects, including computers, from their
and a daughter, Nicola. A large part of his career was spent inception. He was, as his daughter added, intent on using his
working at County Hall in London’s South Bank for the Greater expertise to help others. Brian was a true product of the Rosmini
London Council, and ultimately, the Inner London Education ethos; his desire to help others endured throughout his life.
Authority. At 52, Brian happily retired, planning to do some
of the things that we promise ourselves to do one day, but Sir Anthony Holland (56)
rarely do. with additions by John’s daughter, Nicola Reid

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