Mr W R Doherty.

and did a world tour on its behalf in 1971. Since his retirement he has been a local director for Baring Bros. In 1965 he was President of the Birmingham & District Society of Chartered Accountants, and in 1969 chaired also the Students' Society.

Ray had a distinguished Army career. He held a TA commission with the 5th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1936 and served throughout the Second World War mainly in the Far East, India, Burma (including the Battle of Kohima) and Malaya. He ended the

war as a Lieutenant-Colonel, but reverted to the rank of Major after the war to help in the re-formation of the TA. He represented his Division at Rugby football and in 1938 fought as a light-heavyweight in the TA Boxing championships.

He has been associated with Moseley RFC since 1933. He is a Trustee and Life member of the club, was Chairman from 1961 until 1974, President from 1972 till 1974 and Tour manager for them in USA in 1976. He was also Chairman of the Association of the Major Clubs in the RFU from 1971a79. He played over 70 consecutive matches for Worcestershire at badminton between the years 1949 and 1955; he held the County singles title from 1949a52 and was Captain from 1952a5. He has played much Rugby and cricket for the Old Boys at Cotton and was also a member of Jim Byrne's Moseley XV until the outbreak of war. He is also a keen walker and has completed the Cornwall Coastal path, a distance of some 273 miles.

Among his clubs Ray numbers the Athenaeum, the MCC, Warwickshire CC (Chairman of the Supporters' Northern Association), the Union Club, Birmingham (he was Chairman 1964a66), now amalgamated with the Birmingham Club, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Trust, the Friends of the Royal College of Music and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Society. He is a Liveryman and Freeman of the City of London. He has one son, who is a professional musician.

Father Philip Pargeter

`The Parge' has gone.

Within the space of less than a year the School has

suffered two reverberating body-blows: `the Pierce' departing after 37 years (not to mention his time here as a boy) and now `the Parge' after 27 years, with a slight hiccup in service when he returned to Oscott to be ordained in 1959. Their combined service to Cotton is the nearest priestly rivalry to the record set up by Messrs Warner and Roberts.

A Native of Wolverhampton and educated at St Bede's, Manchester, Philip Pargeter came here as a layman in 1957 to teach Doctrine. He confesses modestly that he led an easy life and put on 1.5 stones in weight. He loved his time spent here and hoped that he would be appointed to Cotton on his ordination. Archbishop Grimshaw duly

Fr. Philip Pargeter.

complied, no doubt encouraged by recommendations from the then Headmaster, Mgr Doran, and the Staff.

He quickly took up the reins where he had left off and was soon given more responsibility. He taught Geography, Latin and Doctrine throughout the School. In the same year he took over as Milner Housemaster and here we saw an ideal Master of St Thomas's in the making. He personally

guided his budding actors in producing 16 Milner House plays, and good they were too. It was no coincidence that the House carried off many of the trophies on the sports field nor that many a Milner House Captain went on the following year to be Public Man. He was always a very sound judge of character and wise counsellor. He was kind, firm, always scrupulously fair; in fact just like a good father of a household. His correspondence with Old Boys was and is copious. No letter went unanswered; no visiting Old Boy, and there were many, failed to receive a warm welcome. And those tasks are not easy after a hard day's teaching, preparing next day's classes, doing Prep and putting the boys to bed.

For four years he was the Deputy Prefect of Discipline, a job not eagerly sought when the Prefect had his wellearned day off. He lived in Faber for over 13 years, where it would appear that extensions were built to house his

library, but more of that later. In 1975 he gave up the Milner Housemastership as he was to succeed Fr Grady as Master of Thomas's. Again he ran a happy and efficient

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