Latest news from the Wellington Community…

Richard Aylmer (Bl 49)  

01 March 2024

Despite being born in Devonport, it was in the British Army that Richard Aylmer made his way in life.  With a degree from London University, he joined the Royal Artillery in 1952 before retiring with rank of Captain in 1959. He was selected for the 1956 Winter Olympics in his chosen sport of cross-country skiing, […]

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John Sworder (C 49) 

01 March 2024

John arrived at College as a Foundationer and left as Head of Dorm and member of the UX, joining the RMA in 1949 before regimental duties with the RA and the RHA between 1954 and 1957 and retiring in 1968. He married Jillian in 1957 and they had 3 daughters before her untimely death in […]

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John Jehu Ross-Barnard (A 57) 

01 March 2024

John Jehu Ross Barnard passed away on 2nd November 2022, at the age of 83. John was born in 1939, the son of Captain J K Ross Barnard. He was in the Anglesey from 1953, a Foundationer.  On leaving College he joined the well-known London Department Store, Selfridges, but very quickly found his true calling on […]

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Celebrating Philanthropy

27 February 2024

We recently published our latest Community Report in which we celebrate all the philanthropic achievements of the Wellington Community in the past few years. Highlights include Giving Week ’23, in which enough was raised to offer 16 more young people a sixth form Prince Albert Foundation scholarship, and the exciting plans for the new Sixth […]

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Timothy R. Morley (Hl 57) 

20 February 2024

Tim Morley FRCS enjoyed a distinguished career as an orthopaedic surgeon of international renown.  As his son, Mark, reflects, “After achieving Victor ludorum and some measure of academic success at Wellington, he clearly must have enjoyed his time at Cambridge and medical school because he qualified from one with a Third and the other only […]

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Michael Houldey (M 58) 

20 February 2024

Michael Houldey, who has died aged 82, was a director whose documentaries for television ranged from portraits of film and music giants to insights on world issues that reflected his original ambition to become a foreign correspondent. Houldey’s early work put on screen the realities of daily life faced by those struggling in Britain. The first […]

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Timothy O’Brien (Bd 47) 

19 February 2024

O’Brien, left, with the director Peter Hall working on the RSC production of Staircase in 1966; his set for Pericles at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1969.  Timothy O’Brien learnt his secret of stage design – that the aim is clarity, and the enemy distraction – from Samuel Beckett, the pioneer of post-modern minimalism in […]

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An Evening with Robin Dyer (T 77): OW, Teacher and Second Master

19 February 2024

On Monday 18th March, College Archivist Caroline Jones, will be chatting to Robin Dyer about his remarkable life at Wellington – from a pupil in the 1970s, through a 33-year career as teacher and Housemaster, and encompassing 16 years as Second Master. He will be joined by special guests: Nick Moss – Robin’s contemporary in […]

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John Budden (L 57)

15 February 2024

When the BBC organised a poll in 2014 to discover the identity of the greatest Cumbrian, the broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, the comedian Stan Laurel, Emperor Hadrian, the author Beatrix Potter, and Catherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six wives, were the fancied frontrunners. There was another contender, less familiar to the outside world but […]

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Sir Richard Lloyd (M 47)

12 February 2024

Richard Ernest Butler Lloyd was born in 1928 in Bolton, Lancashire, where his father was involved in running textiles mills. He was one of five children to Major Guy Lloyd, a director of the textile manufacturer J&P Coats who served as a Unionist (Scottish Conservative) MP for East Renfrewshire for 20 years and was given […]

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Remembering Amelia Morse 1982-2023

09 February 2024

Amelia Morse (Director of Drama at Wellington College from 2014-17) sadly passed away on the 16th December. Amelia started at Wellington as a drama teacher in September 2007, joining Sarah Spencer, who was Director of Drama. One of her first plays here was the successful Daisy pulls it off before assisting the direction of Les […]

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Major General James H. Short CE OBE (M 68)

19 January 2024

Educated at Wellington, James was commissioned into the 9th / 12th Royal Lancers in 1970. His promising Regimental career alternated with demanding Staff appointments, including Military Assistant to Commander 1 (BR) Corps. As Commanding Officer he led the Regiment during its notably successful six month operational tour in Belfast in 1993 – 94, for which […]

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James S. Delahook (C 62)

19 January 2024

James Delahooke will be remembered as a “consummate horseman” as industry figures paid tribute to the distinguished bloodstock agent and stud manager, who died at the age of 77. Delahooke was born on January 7, 1945, the son of Garry and Priscilla Delahooke, owners of Adstock Manor Stud near Buckingham. He ran the stud for a […]

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George Christopher Hall (O 59) 

19 January 2024

Christopher arrived at the College in 1955. He was brought up in Camberley, a place surrounded by the military, with the Staff College and RMA Sandhurst across the road from where he lived. In some ways, it was no surprise that he was sent to Wellington, being the local public school, although Christopher was the […]

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Major Colin Gillespie MBE (43 Hl)

10 January 2024

Major Colin Gillespie, who has died aged 98, was a sapper officer who saw active service in the Second World War and with the SAS in Malaya; after retiring from the Army, he became one of the West Country’s leading wine growers.  Colin Leonard Beauchamp Gillespie MBE, the son of an officer in the Royal […]

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Bryn S. Parry OBE (Hg 75)

10 January 2024

During his time in charge of Help for Heroes, the charity Bryn Parry OBE (Hg 75) co-founded with his wife Emma, he raised £260 million and helped more than 50,000 people to recover from the trauma of combat stress and injury while fighting for their country, whether in the army, navy or air force.  Bryn […]

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Peter Waghorn (O 50, CR)

13 December 2023

OWs will be sad to learn of the passing of Peter Waghorn (O 50, CR) in November 2023, aged 91. PDW was at the heart of Wellington life throughout a distinguished teaching career. This tribute comes from the Yearbook of 1992: “Wellington has been the framework as well as the scene of almost the whole […]

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Potts’ Grand Tour 2023

13 December 2023

In November 2023, Chris Potter (C 65, OW Liaison) embarked on a Grand Tour to Australia via Singapore: 13 hrs to Singapore, then a night’s long sleep was preparation for the walking tour that followed as my nephew, with whom we stayed, set a cracking pace in high humidity. Will Jelf (Hg 96) had organised […]

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The Change Baths and the V&A

06 November 2023

As the newly enlarged V&A Café opens, we take a look back through the archives to discover the varied history of this area of Wellington. In the College’s earliest years, the ground where the V&A now stands was a garden for the Anglesey and Blücher HMs, while the Princes’ Quad area was a yard surrounded […]

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‘Bright the Vision’: Wellington College and Public School Missions

03 November 2023

In 1885, the Wellington College Mission was founded in Walworth, South London. It was one of a number of public school ‘missions’ established in the later 19th century, as a response to the poverty and poor social conditions in England’s inner cities. Wellington’s mission, supported by both pupils and Old Wellingtonians, aimed to provide both […]

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OWs Chris and Will Donnelly announce funding for their complany, Lottie

16 October 2023

Congratulations to OWs Chris (Bd 09) and Will Donnelly (Bd 12), who’s business ‘Lottie’ have raised $21M (£16.35M) in Series A funding, led by Accel, with participation from previous investor General Catalyst. This brings the total amount raised by the company to $31M (£25M). Lottie is a free service that helps families and retirees find […]

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OW Cross Country Alumni Race Results

13 October 2023

On Saturday 16th September, OWXC took part in the 71st Annual Alumni Race on Wimbledon Common, an 8k undulating cross-country course. This is a long-standing challenge amongst the alumni/ae of all the top schools and is as much social as it is competitive. For the first time, we were joined by four current College students […]

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OWSA

13 October 2023

We are delighted to share that last weekend the OWSA won the Arrow Yacht Racing Trophy!   The event takes place on the challenging waters of the Solent, in 2 fleets of chartered one-class yachts. The Organising Authority is the Royal London Yacht Club, and the race format is short fleet racing on Saturday, finishing […]

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‘Tears of a Shadow’, Oliver Silver’s (Bd 08) Debut Novel

05 October 2023

Largely inspired by his own life, Oliver Silver’s debut psychological thriller Tears of a Shadow asks how far you would go to get your life back on track. Born in the Middle East, Oliver attended Wellington from 2003-08, and then pursued a career as an actor. Oliver explains: “this book is directly inspired by my […]

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