Jack Lanning

1952

Memories from David Greenaway

Jack Lanning died in 2023, We started school, St Mary’s, Amyand Park Road, Twickenham, on the same day in September 1939. Of those that matriculated in 1945, only Jack and I chose to go to Hampton. I was A stream and Blackmore House. I think Jack was C stream and Garrick House. We stayed in touch until his end. Before retirement he had a windsurfing shop in Weston super Mare.

WITH JACK LANNING AT HAMPTON

Only six or seven of us out of 40 passed the 11-plus examination in my class at St Mary’s, Amyand Park Road, school and only Jack and I chose to go to the boys’ school, Hampton Grammar School (now Hampton School). I was put into the A stream (and Blackmore house) and I think that Jack went into the C stream (and Garrick House).  We cycled the nine mile round trip together, six days a week, for seven years, and on some Sundays as well for ATC parades.  All pupils went to school by bicycle, on foot, or a combination of bus and walking, mainly by bicycle.  No buses went past the school.  My diaries show that for our first five years there we were never late for school: only one very icy morning spoilt this record. A note from my 1950 diary – “14 December: roads very icy in the morning. Jack and I fell off twice”.

We both joined the Air Training Corps, 651 squadron, and learned useful things, like how to strip down and reassemble a Browning machine gun!  The ATC was run by Harry Crocker (senior physics teacher) and Mr Barton (senior mathematics teacher).  In 1949 we went for two weeks to Manston Airfield, in Kent.  It was a front-line fighter station during the war.  I had my first flights there, in Avro Yorks and Ansons

Diary entry for 28 April 1951 – “we went to Fairoaks airdrome after school, (7 of us) and we got ½ hr flying each in Chipmunks (RAF VR trainer).  Alone with the pilot; dual controls; we did a loop”.

In July we went flying at Fairoaks again; this time 30 minutes in a Tiger Moth – biplane, open cockpit, great experience.  Later that month there was an ATC camp at Thorney Island.  I went with Jack to Hayling Island funfair one afternoon.  While at the camp we went for  a 2 ¾ hr flight in an Anson to Bideford.

The other away activity with the ATC was rifle shooting, this was mainly at the range in Egerton Road, Twickenham, just at the bottom of Jack’s road, Court Way. The diary entry for 14 January 1952 was “Jack’s birthday.  Went shooting (2nd round L.M. Trophy)”.   In May we shot in the ‘Battle of Britain’ trophy competition.  These were .22 bore rifles, but on one occasion we shot at Bisley, just for the experience, .303 bore – noisy things with quite a kick.

Of course, most of the time that I spent with Jack was out of school hours, but these are my school memories of us.

Donald Lambert

1958

Donald attended Hampton between 1951 and 58. He was a Prefect and Head of Walpole House, and represented the School in the First XV (rugby) and cross country. He appeared in the 1957 edition of The Lion: “In the senior school event, R. Freeman won convincingly from V. Lester, with D. Lambert winning a close fight with P. Lee for third position”.

Donald Lambert died in 2024.

John Syrad

1950

John’s death marks the passing of the last of four brothers who came to Hampton. James Syrad OH (1948), Ronald Syrad MBE, Stuart Syrad OBE OH (1991) also were Hamptonians, as is his son Tim Syrad OH (1984), who survives his father.

John died in May 2025, at the age of 93.

Sheila Binns

Common Room

Member of the Common Room, 2002 to 2009.

Sheila worked at Hampton between 2002 and 2009 as Admissions Secretary and then Registrar (Admissions Manager). Longer-serving members of the Common Room will remember Sheila as a dedicated, assiduous and warm-hearted colleague. Her sons, Rowan OH (2001) and Hayden OH (2006), both attended our School.

Dr Keith Simpkins

1951

Keith’s talent as a cricketer and rower at Hampton are highlighted in editions of the Lion during his time at the School. Keith passed away on the 28 May 2025.

Steve Wise

1979

At Hampton, Steve was involved in the boat club, bridge club and stage crew, before studying Mathematics at Durham University where he continued his interest in rowing by becoming Captain of Boats at St Chad’s College. Steve dedicated his working career to the information management profession holding a number of different positions at the House of Commons.

Steve passed on Tuesday 11 February 2025 at Southborough Nursing Home.

Mark Threlfall

1995

Records of Mark in The Lion during his time at School from 1988-1995 highlight his talent on the football pitch, scoring 23 goals for the First XI as a left midfielder.

Mark went on to study Zoology at the University of Bristol before holding several positions as directors of different organisations.

Mark passed on Monday 28 April 2025.

Peter Lovesey

1955

Peter Lovesey, award winning author of the Victorian Sergeant Cribb series and the Peter Diamond series, passed away on Thursday 10 April 2025 aged 88.

In a writing career spanning 60 years, Lovesey published 43 novels including the standalone CWA Gold Dagger-winning The False Inspector Dew, which was selected as one of CWA’s Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time as well as the Times’ Top 100 Crime Novels of the 20th Century.

Others included eight Victorian crime novels featuring Sergeant Cribb, which were developed for television; and 22 novels in his flagship Peter Diamond procedural series, starting with his Anthony Award–winning novel The Last Detective and concluding with his final novel, Against the Grain, published in 2024, which he wrote after his diagnosis. He was also a prolific short-story writer and published seven collections during his lifetime.

Lovesey was the recipient of numerous awards, including the CWA Silver Dagger, multiple Macavity and Antony awards, the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. He was one of a select number of writers to have been awarded both the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Special Edgar and the Crime Writers’ Association’s Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement; the shortlist of other double honorees includes Sue Grafton, John le Carré, Walter Mosley and Sara Paretsky.

Lovesey passed away peacefully at his home in Shrewsbury, England on 10th April 2025. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jaqueline, and their two children, Kathy and Phil.

Cath Burke, deputy managing director of Little, Brown Book Group, said, “Peter was a brilliant writer, a legend in crime writing, and a deeply lovely man whom we will miss very much. We are so proud to have been Peter’s publisher and to know that his phenomenal body of work will continue to find readers throughout the world.”

His literary agent, Vanessa Holt, who has worked with him since the early days of his career, said: “He was loyal to his friends and business friends, appreciative of all efforts made for him and meticulous in his writing and business affairs.”

Tony Tyers

1963

Tony was a keen sportsman and amongst other achievements rowed for Hampton in the Henley Royal Regatta in 1962.

After leaving Hampton he entered the medical profession and became a consultant ophthalmologist and ophthalmic plastic surgeon at Salisbury District Hospital.

He was described by his colleagues as a great teacher, a towering authority in ophthalmology, and a true friend to us all.

We were only recently informed of Tony’s passing, which happened peacefully at Salisbury Hospice on Friday 24 April 2020.