Mr Michael John Bennett
Class of 1950
Mr Michael Bennett (Tilly’s, 1945-1950)
Died 22nd December 2024
The below obituary was kindly provided by Michael’s daughter, Helen.
Michael is pictured here in front of Tilly’s, in 1950 – he is on the far right, sat on the arm of a bench.
Michael was born in Oxford and became a day boy at St. Bede’s School, Eastbourne, while it was evacuated to Corfe House in the grounds of St. Edward’s from 1940 to 1944, before moving on to board during his time at St. Edward’s. He took up rowing, winning both the junior and senior sculls competitions in successive years, and rowed ‘six’ in the Martyrs eight at the 1950 Oxford Regatta, where they came second.
He was always fascinated by motor vehicles and became a Nuffield Engineering Apprentice before completing two years of national service (1956 – 1957), during which he gained a commission in REME and served in Sierra Leone. Upon returning to civilian life, he worked in the motor industry until his retirement in 2000. He married Ann Charlotte Burgin daughter of a Leicestershire farmer, in 1958, and they had three children: two boys and a girl, as well as seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Throughout his adult life, Michael maintained his love of choral singing, which had been nurtured in St. Edward’s School choir. While in West Africa, he was part of a small group of singers at Fourah Bay College, Freetown, occasionally performing on local radio, probably to a very small audience! Later, in Solihull, he was a tenor in a larger choir and ultimately became the first chairman of the Solihull Choral Society.
After retiring, he became the chairman of a local Solihull group, where he helped set up a new U3A (University of the Third Age) group. This grew to over 120 members, with twenty-one subgroups catering to the various interests of its members.
Michael died on 22nd December 2024 after a short illness.
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