Issue 54 — January 2004
In memoriam
Frank Clements – Born in Cowley, ‘Clem’ died in Jericho in July, just after his 80th birthday. He had been a Flight-Sergeant during the War and had an exciting life. Something of a character, he loved bridge and pink gins and ran a pub in Portsmouth called the Fairy Queen. Later he was a club steward, then in business as ‘Oxford Locks’. Our sympathies to Penny.
Doris Devey – Doris, who died recently, lived for many years in Grantham House, and was a regular at the pub lunches for the elderly. She will be much missed by her family, including her granddaughter and great granddaughter.
Ray Inskeep – Ray, who lived in Walton Street, died from cancer in August aged 76. Ray was born in Brighton and left school at the age of 14. He initially worked in a gentleman’s outfitters, but after the war trained as a teacher. He had, however, developed an interest in archaeology and eventually studied the subject at St. John’s College, Cambridge. Having been invited to carry out excavations in what was then Tanganyika, he was drawn to work more in Africa, and took charge of archaeology at the University of Cape Town. Eventually, disenchanted with the politics of the apartheid era, in 1972 he came to Oxford as assistant curator at the Pitt Rivers museum. Subsequently he became a university lecturer and a fellow of Merton College and wrote a series of books on Southern Africa. During this time he took a great interest in local politics and in community activities and became chair of the Jericho Residents’ Association. Ray is survived by his wife Adi, to whom we extend our sympathy.
Nesta Wright – Nesta Wright, who was Father Michael’s
mother, passed away on December 13th, just a week before her 102nd birthday.
Mrs. Wright had a long association with Oxford, having spent part of
her girlhood in Radley, where her father’s family, the Westons,
came from. She went to school in London and well remembered being taken
as a girl to the funeral of King Edward in 1910 from which she had a
clear recollection of seeing the Kaiser in the procession. On the occasion
of her 100th birthday, Radio Oxford asked her which was the most enjoyable
decade of her life. She unhesitatingly replied: “the dancing Twenties!”.
Her last outings, the week before she died, were to the Jericho Rejects
Christmas Party at the school, and the Advent Carol Service in the Church,
both of which she thoroughly enjoyed. Our sympathies to Father Michael.
