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News > Obituaries > Obituary - John Northfield OI 1938-45

Obituary - John Northfield OI 1938-45

We are sorry to announce the passing of John
10 Oct 2025
Written by Caroline Gould
Obituaries
John with Head, Nick Gregory at the Summer Lunch in June 2025
John with Head, Nick Gregory at the Summer Lunch in June 2025

We are very sorry to notify you of the passing of John who was at the School from 1938 until 1945.

John passed away peacefully on 8th October, aged 98 years.  

We are conscious that some people who knew John during his time at the School may not be in contact with us and we would be very grateful if you could pass on this information to those that you know. 

As is usual practice, we would like to place an obituary for John in the 2025-26 OI Journal. If you know of any stories or memories which you can pass on to us so we can put them together for the publication we would be most grateful. Please address any contributions to me through oldipswichians@ipswich.school

Sally Webber
OI Chair

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My memories of John are of being in the same form and each having a younger brother following two forms below. John was a dependable, fairly serious chap and we both enjoyed the school scout group run by Mr Stonex, the Latin master, and enjoyed summer camps at Ramsey Wood near Hadleigh. Tents were camouflaged and erected under trees to comply with wartime regulations, all cooking was done using open fires. After training, John joined Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners, who undertook the development of the Felixstowe Doocks, a major container port and ultimately became its Chief Development Engineer.

John Shambrook (OI 1939-45)

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