Paul will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

We are conscious that some people from the time when Paul was at the School may not be in contact with us and we would ask if you could pass on this information to those that you know.

As is the usual practice, we would like to place an obituary for Paul in the 2024-25 OI Journal and would be very grateful for any stories or memories you may wish to share which we could put together for the publication. We are putting together this journal now and therefore need any submissions within the next 7 days. Please address any contributions to me through oldipswichians@ipswich.school

Sally Webber

OI Chair

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Paul was born and educated in Ipswich. He gained a scholarship to Ipswich School at 10 and left school at 16.  He then joined the PO Engineering Dept (POED), working on RAF aerodromes and Radar stations. He first met Pat his future wife in 1941. He was called up in Feb 1945 and soon, he was sent to the Officer Cadet Training Unit in Bangalore, India, where he was commissioned in 1946, and attached to the 2nd Gurkhas in Dehra Dun. Pat and Paul became engaged before he went abroad. He left India just after partition in 1947 and was demobbed in 1948. He rejoined the POED, was married to Pat in May that year, and was promoted to a new job in London in Feb 1949.

He took the opportunity to take an Engineering degree part-time at London University. His son Antony, was born in 1951 and his daughter, Diana, in 1954. He graduated with 1st class honours in Electronics and Communications in 1955, whilst he was working at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill on the first microwave links for TV. In 1957, he joined the UKAEA as Quality Assurance Manager at a small unit in Woolwich when they were producing parts for the first UK hydrogen bomb. In 1960, he moved on promotion to AWRE Aldermaston where he worked on instrumentation for nuclear physics experiments and lived in Newbury. He moved on to electronics design and detection monitoring. In 1967, he moved to Northampton when he was seconded to Her Majesty’s Communication Centre (HMGCC) at Hanslope Park to run a science laboratory which provided support for the Security Services MI5 and MI6 and moved to Northampton. In 1970 he was promoted to director of HMGCC upon the sudden death of the incumbent.

He returned to AWRE in 1972 to a number of jobs in nuclear physics, detection monitoring, electronics research, and system assessments and it was then that he and Pat moved to Goring in 1973. His jobs with detection monitoring, testing and liaison with the Americans took him to many places all round the world.  With holidays he was also very widely travelled. His work involved systems from the hydrogen bomb, Polaris, Poseidon and Trident and he finished working with the Americans on Star Wars. He retired in 1989.

Paul leaves behind his 2 children Antony and Diana, 5 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren and his brother Colin who was at the Ipswich School 1943-50. In Goring Paul joined a number of the local organisations, becoming Chairman of the Tennis Club (twice), the Bowling Club, Goring Bridge Club, Woodcote Bridge Club and Treasurer of GADFAS as well as Chairman of PROBUS. He enjoyed playing tennis, bowls and bridge and walking.

Tony Richards (Paul's son) & family