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The Old St Beghian | |
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Anthony Joseph Wills (F 60-64).
28th April 1947 - 22nd December 2021.
Anthony’s daughter, Claudia, has sent in the following about her late father:
Anthony was born on 28th April 1947 and lived at Angerton House near the Solway Firth, which has been in the family since the 18th century and he was a proud Cumbrian.
At the age of seven, Anthony went to prep school at Lime House and then Rickerby. At the age of thirteen, he followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, and moved to St Bees where he joined Foundation House.
Anthony very much enjoyed his years at St Bees and made some very good friends while at school, including Richard Hughes, Anthony Rickerby, Neil Dumbleton, Richard Langhorne and David Griffiths, among others. He enjoyed lessons, especially history, but his highlights at school were cross-country running, playing hockey on the beach and having the freedom to explore the Lake District by bike with friends, including stopping off for a sneaky half pint on the way home.
President of the St Beghian Society 2012
After leaving St Bees, he spent time working on the family farm, before a year in Edinburgh where he shared a flat with Richard Langhorne and further honed his hockey skills at the Grange Club. His hockey playing continued when he returned to Cumbria, and he went on to play for Carlisle and for Cumbria County. He also coached and umpired for Newton Rigg College, where he later worked. His passion for hockey was passed on to his three daughters, and he spent many Saturday mornings cheering-on from the side-lines. His hockey skills continue through his grandchildren in New Zealand and in Inverness.
Anthony met Joanna on Boxing Day in 1971 and they were married in October 1972. They were very happily married and were delighted to have three daughters, Charlotte, Louise and Claudia.
Beach Hockey 1964 (Photo by Ivan Jones)
Anthony Wills - Front Row, Third from Left.
In memory of Anthony Wills (FN 60-64), Neil Dumbleton (FS 60-64) writes:
“Last month's issue of ‘The Old St Beghian’ carried the very sad news of the death of Tony Wills, one of my closest contemporaries at St Bees, shortly before Christmas. I rang another contemporary, Richard Langhorne, to pass on the news and exchange memories about our time shared with Tony at the school. Tony never excelled at the skills, sporting and academic, by which success at school was generally measured. But he did excel at the personality attributes needed to be an admirable person and the very best of friends. At times of dispute and uncertainty, he could always be relied upon to make the right choice and judgement. Even more important, he was totally loyal and dependable towards his friends. Being reliable and comparatively serious and hard-working may not have helped him stand out among more flamboyant contemporaries, but he left school better equipped than most to handle the challenges of the adult and professional life beyond. It is no surprise that those personal skills helped him become a long-term servant of the St Beghian Society Committee and also a School Governor.
Richard Langhorne and I kept in touch with Tony for a few years after leaving St Bees. Together with David Griffiths, the three of us found ourselves in Switzerland for the latter stages of the 1966 World Cup, most memorably sharing a café with a group of Germans, in Weggis on Lake Lucerne, to watch the final. The following year, Tony's banking training took him on a traineeship to Edinburgh, where he shared a flat with Richard. Richard remembers the year, his second at university, as being particularly alcohol-fuelled, and was understandably grateful that Tony did most of the cooking. Some three years later, I was pleased that Tony was able to join Richard and David at my wedding in Belfast.After that, our lives drifted apart. It was a delight, however, to see Tony again, this time with his wife, Joanna, in April 2013 over a drink at the start of the 50th anniversary reunion of the school's first Atlas expedition. His death will be felt by so many of his school and Old St Beghian friends.”
(Anthony was a long-standing loyal supporter of both the St Beghian Society and the school. He was an elected Society Committee Member for several years, President of the St Beghian Society from 2011-2014, and also a School Governor. We thank him for his dedicated service and support.)
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The St Beghian Society
St Bees School,
St Bees, Cumbria, CA27 0DS.
Tel: (01946) 828093 Email: osb@stbeesschool.co.uk
Web: www.st-beghian-society.co.uk
