He had been there eleven years when he died suddenly

in his sleep on 2 December 1968. The Abbot, with twelve priests, concelebrated his Requiem, a tribute to

a quiet boy and man who, though he never set the Thames on fire, filled his allotted niche with a great deal of credit and won the respect and affection of all who knew him.

FGR

FRANCIS WALTER CLIBBERY (1935-1940)

'I have lost the best friend I ever had.' This was said by his father after his funeral, and it must have been echoed by many who were present at his Requiem, where the large attendance mourned the man whose qualities were so generally admired and showed the respect due to an outstanding man who had been so sadly cut off in his prime. Frank was everybody's friend. I suppose that, in the stress of modern industry, he had

to be ruthless sometimes, but his warm-hearted sympathy, as shown to all those with whom he came into contact, was the outstanding feature of his character.

We had hoped, after the first news of his collapse,

that his illness was merely the result of the stresses of big business, or possibly a side-effect of his war wounds, but it was unfortunately not so, and he gradually declined until he died peacefully on 6 January 1969.

Frank came to Cotton with his younger brother peter in 1934. Peter was unfortunately killed in action in October 1944. Frank, who was rather more burly and equipped in a different way for the harsh realities of life, rose to be Captain of Milner House and a stalwart forward in the First XV. lie was also the Secretary of the Cotton branch of the Distributist League. However, his main achievement was as Prefect of St Thomas's between 1938 and 1940, where his powers of discipline and common-sense manner were equally prominent; he was solid and reliable, and honoured and respected by the boys in his care - no mean feat.

The War was on when he left and he soon joined the Royal Armoured Corps. During his service he was badly wounded in Normandy and rose to the rank of Major. On his return to civilian life, he was appointed General Manager of his firm, a position formerly hold by his father. lie was held in such high esteem there that he was appointed Managing Director shortly before his death, and at his Requiem the firm was represented by many of his former colleagues.

Our sympathy goes out to his father and mother, and also to his sister, and above all, to his wife and nine children. lie will be remembered with respect and admiration by all who benefited by knowing him.

FGR

FR BERNARD KELLY (1915-1922)

It was as a prospective student for the English College at Valladolid, Spain that I first met Father Kelly. In company with another student from England, I arrived at the little country station of Viana de Cega, some ton miles north of the city of Valladolid in which the old

College is situated. The students of the College who had not gone to England that year (1923) for the summer holiday were spending it at the College house in the country

We reached Viana station at about six o'clock in the evening and had to walk the distance of a mile or so to the Country House, carrying our suitcases in the hot evening sunshine along a very dusty road. As we approached the house, we were suddenly 'ambushed' by three figures who appeared in the guise of Spanish 'brigands'! Two of these 'brigands' were well-known to past Cottonians of the Twenties - Father Bernard Kelly and his Diocesan colleague: the late revered Father Francis V Farrell. I can still picture Father Kelly, dressed in his blue soccer pants and red and white jersey; relics of happy years spent in his former College at Cotton.

From this first encounter, a lasting friendship was formed between us in College and in post-ordination years. We shared our annual holidays and met at regular intervals, at chosen spots for a day off in the countryside. lie enjoyed his annual holiday to the full: relaxed and serene. his leisure was spent in innocent amusements, such as train-spotting in the good old days of steam locomotives, or in the more exacting hobby of photography, at which he was no mean expert.

Off duty, he portrayed a perennial youthfulness, full of fun coupled with a form of verbal expression which anticipated by years the famous comedian Tommy Handley of the War years. lie had, and used, a 'lingo' all of his own making, which at times led to embarrassing situations for those who might be in his company.

On duty, he was indeed the 'man of God', the 'alter Christus' we expect to see in our priests. He rarely failed in his zeal and devotion towards his Divine Master, spending each morning half an hour in prayer and meditation as a preparation for his daily Mass. His Mass was a constant joy and comfort to his priestly heart, and the manner of its offering was a source of delight and gratitude to God for all who were privileged to offer with him that august Sacrifice.

In all his other priestly duties he was equally meticulous and painstaking. lie loved people, talking with them, caring, advising, helping them, sharing their joys and sorrows in life. He was particularly zealous in his devotion and care of the sick, and discharged his duties as Chaplain at the local hospitals with a quiet and unassuming manner which greatly edified patients, nursing staff, doctors, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.

In the material sphere, he laboured many long and

hard years in a determined resolve to bring about better conditions for his School. The Chief Education Officer at Stafford, in conveying his deep sympathy to Father Kelly's sole surviving sister, paid this tribute to him: 'As a member of the County Education Committee for many years, Father Kelly gave advice which was greatly valued, and his interest in and care for St Patrick's School will live in the memory of those who served with him in the sphere of Education'. A fine tribute indeed.

I received many letters of sympathy on the occasion of his lamented death, from friends who had known him as my friend and companion from College days going back some forty-five years. One letter aptly describes his qualities as a priest and a man. It was written by a retired miner who is privileged to have a son a priest: 'Father Kelly was it wonderful and dear person. I realised that the moment I met him. I always had a conception of Chesterton's Father Brown, 'who walked with the inno-

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