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It is with deep regret that the Club announces the recent tragic death of Giles Clifford Thomas (S.85-90) on the harshly arid Brukkaros Mountain in Namibia on 15th March, 2020.

 

Giles had just sailed from Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town via Tristan da Cunha with friends and with some of those friends was spending the last few days of a great adventure exploring South and South West Africa. On the mountain Giles briefly (it was only planned to be brief for he had little water and they held the reserve) separated from his companions but then, in intensifying heat and for several critical hours, he was unable to rejoin them due to being cut off, surrounded probably, by a troop of baboons. Only when the baboons returned to their own water source in the evening was Giles able to get away.  Overnight he walked to within 100 metres of the main track leading to Berseba and to within 300 metres of where the party had camped on 13/14th March, but it was too late and he died of dehydration and heat exhaustion.

 

Small of stature but fit, agile and with a big heart, Giles left Allhallows as a School Prefect, Head of Shallow and Captain of the 2nd XV. His career involved project management with Southampton, Bournemouth and Poole Councils but essentially his interests were outdoor activity. Known as "Gentleman Giles" to work colleagues, he founded and ran a club for those who enjoyed challenging pursuits. His sailing for Allhallows led on to him qualifying as a Yachtmaster Offshore and to his subsequent crossing of the South Atlantic.

 

Above all, Giles was a thoroughly decent, kind and considerate man. Numerous letters bear witness to these characteristics and mention his readiness to help others. His devotion to his two children, Lucy (20) and Andrew (18) was total. He leaves a grieving family and is a great loss to the Club. The Club extends its sincerest condolences to Giles family and friends at this time.

We are pleased to be able to inform you that a new date has been set for the London Drinks Party, which was postponed from September 2020 due to Covid-19.  It will now take place on the evening of Friday 21^st May 2021 on board HQS Wellington on the Thames Embankment.

Family and friends of OHs are welcome to join us for a great OH reunion celebration after this year’s cancellations and social distancing. 

We are delighted that Helen McGinn OH will be entertaining us with a talk immediately before the party, in lieu of the AGM which will be held later in the year.  Helen is author of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club, an award-winning wine blog, and a best-selling wine book and guide. She is a drinks writer for the Daily Mail’s Femail magazine and appears regularly on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and ITV’s This Morning.

Details of the evening and a ticket application form will be published on this website early in 2021.  Please contact Myf Adams – myfadams@gmail.com or 01963 210717 – for any further information.

Regretfully due to the continuing COVID 19 restrictions MacMillan Cancer Support have made the decision to cancel the Jurassic Coast 26 mile hike that was due to be held on 5th September.

 

The OH Team, The Humble Pointers consisting of Myf Adams, John Ball, John Campbell Clause, Nigel Clist and Peter Sloan,  (after weeks of intensive training!) will instead be donning their walking boots and taking part in the hike which will now take place on Saturday, 4th September, 2021. Details of how to sponsor/support the Humble Pointers will be given nearer to the date of next year's walk.

Following the cancellation of the West Country lunch this year due to COVID 19, the Club is pleased to announce that next year's lunch will be held at the Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth on 11th September 2021 and will be preceded by the Club's AGM.  OHs are asked to put this date in their diary now. Full details will follow in due course.