John Teesdale (47-49) passed away at his home in Stamford, Lincolnshire after a short illness on March 10, 2020 according to a death notice in the Stamford Mercury. He was 87. After his death, the OP Society unearthed an undated letter from him in which he gave a short resume of his life since he left the NCP in 1949.

“I have always loved engineering, so my first move was training and employment in a local factory, and night school. I soon realised that this life, as with a life at sea, would not suit me so decided to spend a year at Agricultural College, after which I was pleased to re-join the family farm.

The next few years were very busy but I found time to take up gliding which I really loved and made many friends doing. I also had the great good fortune to meet and marry a lovely and talented girl, Anne, who worked as a School Adviser/Inspector for the Kent Education Committee in Bromley. We had three boys. Needing a nursery school for the boys, Anne decided to start one in our farmhouse and garden in Uffington, two miles from Stamford. Today the school has evolved into a very successful prep school for 300 children and is managed by our three sons.

I had the great good fortune to spend the first 75 years of my life in a spacious farm house before semi-retiring to this modern detached house in the village nearby. I had a lifelong friendship with Robin Arnott (47-50; he died in 2013) and for a time kept in touch with Pat Wootton-Wooley (46-50) who joined the Army. I do hope the College continues to thrive and grow. I have happy memories of my three years at Pangbourne.”