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OBITUARIES 59

On entering the Upper School, John was allocated to the John’s father worked at the Bank of England in London, and his
Science classes (Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry) - subjects uncle, P R (Pat) Reid, was a Royal Air Force prisoner of war of the
for which he was well suited. I remember an occasion when he German Reich at Colditz Castle; he wrote a popular book about
stripped the shell off a golf ball; he unravelled and measured the his experiences there.
elastic rubber strands in order to measure the length required to
make the ball – such was his curiosity. Brian was married to Pauline (who survives him), lived in
Guildford, and died of pancreatic cancer on December 7th 2015.
His sport was rowing, and he regularly rode his bicycle to the
boat house (now abandoned) on the River Wreake by the village May he rest in peace.
of Cossington.
Nicholas Tomlinson (56)

MICHAEL DENNIS ROY KEOGH

OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1943 - 1946
APRIL 15TH 1931 - AUGUST 27TH 2014

Michael Keogh (or Mike to his friends) was born and grew up in
the West Midlands as the fifth of seven children born to Dennis
and Gertrude Keogh.

He often spoke of his years at Ratcliffe College, particularly
alluding to his illustrious fellow students, who included Patrick
Nuttgens (48) and Norman St John-Stevas (46). Mike considered
himself an average student, but clearly worked hard in his Latin
lessons, as he was able to quote passages that he had learned
at Ratcliffe right up to the end of his life. He valued education
greatly and was grateful that his own had been so rich, but he
was equally grateful to Ratcliffe for the spiritual grounding that
it gave him.

Following National Service in the RAF, he went to work in his composed for the occasion. His faith also became very important
father’s tyre distribution business in Birmingham. By this time, to him as he grew older, and he was a regular attendee at Mass.
he had already met a young woman named June Jepp at a party
in London, and they married in 1955. Their first child, Joanna His life became more restricted at the age of 60, when he suffered
(Jo), was born in 1959, and their second, Philippa, in 1961. a stroke, which deprived him of the use of his left arm and leg.
As a consequence of this, he helped to set up the RAFA Stroke
The expectation was that Mike would ultimately take over Association, which aimed to help and support fellow sufferers,
his father’s business; however, in the early ‘60s, his own and whose Latin motto, translated, read, ‘It’s not the end of the
entrepreneurial spirit led him and his family to move to world’ - an expression he often used in everyday life. He bore his
Gloucestershire, where he set up a haulage business. A number ill health with good humour for many years, tirelessly supported
of years later, the family and the business moved to Norfolk; this by June, to whom he was devoted.
was an area that he and June grew to love, and where (aside from
a five-year stint in Germany) they would spend the rest of their Mike was delighted by the arrival of three grandchildren in his
married life. Their family increased in size in 1970 with the arrival latter years and always expressed great pride in all his family.
of their son, Sean.
Philippa Keogh
Mike enjoyed many pastimes and interests over the years, Daughter
including jazz, classical music, history, horse riding and sailing.
He read voraciously, completed the crossword on an almost In the Next Issue: Staff Remembered
daily basis, and was extremely fond of Adnams Ale and his pipe. In recent years, we have lost several significant members of
He supported the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) and the the College’s staff: John Satterthwaite, Mike Batty, Fr Keith
British Legion throughout his life, collecting on their behalf Tomlinson (52), and most recently, Fr Les Slack (59) and
well into his 80s. He also loved to write and did so every day, Peter Nelson. In the next issue, we plan to write a tribute to
whether in the form of letters to friends and family or in his diary, each of these long-serving members of staff, who were all very
which he kept for nearly forty years. He had a great facility for influential in their own ways as part of the College community.
verse, coupled with a love of the English language, and no family May they rest in peace.
birthday went by without a poem (frequently an acrostic) being

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