Page 64 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2019

CHRISTOPHER HENRY CLARKE

4TH MARCH 1945 - 26TH DECEMBER 2018
OBITUARIES OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1959 - 1963

After leaving Ratcliffe in 1963, Chris went to Leeds University,
obtaining a degree in Metallurgy. In 1996, he was employed by
British Steel Swinden Laboratories in Rotherham, working in
research metallurgy. Being unable to see any progression, in 1974,
Chris got a job at Flather Bright Steels in Leicester as a salesman
in a stockholding warehouse. He was thrilled, as it gave him sales
office experience, as well as a company car.
Two years later, Chris moved to Foseco Ltd Burmah Castrol Group,
where he worked as an area salesman, despite knowing very little
about foundries. He enjoyed the job and was very successful,
increasing business by 74%. He graduated to Product Group
Manager, and then to Northern Region Sales Manager, to National
Sales, and then to National Sales Manager, and finally to Divisional
Manager of Ferrous Foundries in 1993. In 1996, Chris’ final career
move was to Hüttenes-Albertus GmbH, a German-based company,
as their UK National Sales Marketing Manager, instigating a small
sales team. This move also proved to be successful, and he retired
in 2006. Chris described his strengths as a determination to
succeed, an ability to motivate people, resilience, enthusiasm, him with a weakened heart and, following a further heart attack
commercial awareness, honesty and reliability. He admitted to one in 2017, which was treated with a cardiac intervention, he died on
weakness: paying too much attention to detail, being a “belt and 26th December 2018. Chris leaves behind a wife, three children
braces” man. and four grandchildren.
Chris’ passion for the violin was shattered after an accident in Catherine Clarke
1979, leaving him unable to play left-handed. However, his love of Wife
cars and antique-hunting filled the void. A heart attack in 1984 left

PAUL EDWARD SPENCER

22ND SEPTEMBER 1979 - 2ND AUGUST 2019
OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1993 - 1998

Paul was born in Peterborough Hospital on 22nd September 1979.
Soon afterwards, his family moved to Leicestershire, where his love
of, and talent for, music quickly started to flourish, and he became
a chorister at Leicester Cathedral.
Paul began his life as a Ratcliffian in September 1993, where he
soon came to value the camaraderie and sense of family that came
from being a boarder, as did I. Our free time during evenings and
weekends, which was often plentiful, allowed our minds to concoct
numerous ways of getting ourselves into mischief. Although most
of these schemes never made it past the conceptual stage, every
now and again, the lure of downtown Loughborough proved
to be too great, and taxis were summoned. On one occasion in
particular, breaking out of school proved to be significantly easier
than getting back in, after one of our would-be co-conspirators
(who will remain nameless for now) not only got cold feet at the
last minute, but also decided to drop the latch on the door that was
to take us back to the safety of our rooms in the early hours of the
following morning.
Throughout his time at Ratcliffe, Paul’s passions of music, the
outdoors and, in particular, history, continued to thrive. He enjoyed enormous branch”, sending him crashing to the ground. No one
most aspects of Ratcliffe life; however, he was never the biggest else around him seemed to struggle with, or even see, this obstacle,
fan of team sports, as, despite his enthusiasm for keeping fit and and although he managed to walk away from the incident, a quick
for the outdoors in general, his co-ordination would frequently trip to the Leicester Royal Infirmary confirmed that he had actually
let him down. On one occasion, during a cross-country run, managed to break his arm, and he spent several months wearing a
he managed to trip over what he described at the time as “an plaster cast.

64 The Old Ratcliffian 2019