David King

Kindly notifed by Reg Helson (Hon OW 1957 – 1996)

It is with great sadness that we have been notified of the death of David King, aged 88. He passed away peacefully in Stroud Hospital on August 4th 2019.

He was an inspirational teacher of French in the Junior School – vouched for by many of his former pupils – some now in their seventies!

He lived in Ryeford Hall for over 30 years – and for much of that time he was the Housemaster with up to 60 boys in his charge. His contributions to School life outside the classroom were many and varied. He produced School plays, organised the Library and was involved in sporting activities.

He was a good disciplinarian – well respected by Staff, Parents and Boys alike.

He spent his retirement years in King’s Stanley.

Quotes from former pupils:

“ David King was the man who somehow deduced that I might be an actor before I even considered it as a profession “

“ David King gave me such a solid grounding in French that I was able to get into the Sorbonne after leaving Wycliffe “

“He was a brilliant French teacher and I always remember watching Dad’s Army in his room as the Monitors’ treat – and what a treat that was!

Comments made by Old Wycliffians across social media following the announcement of David’s passing:

“Thanks to David for my grounding in French”.

“Brilliant teacher, my favourite ever”.

“A good man”.

“David was a lovely man. Still amazed he took boys on the ‘Nevasa’ cruise on his own, what a responsibility”.

“I was looking forward to seeing and telling DFK what a great teacher he was”.

“I went on a Nevasa cruise with him in 1968”.

“I undoubtedly owed my French O level to both Miss Woody at my Preparatory School Airthrie in Cheltenham, and David King at Ryeford. I seem to remember Clinker for some evening Club he organised of which I was a member. However, like Uncle Reg, Mr Squires, and Dick Stoker, David king formed a bond of understanding so important at that age. He also had, if I remember rightly, an Ilford Sportsman Camera”.

“Apart from the fact that I still remember all the rhymes and diagrams he taught us in French, my other memory of Clinker is that he never sang during assembly! Whether that was for religious reasons, or because he had a terrible voice, I’ll never know”.

“Never forgot the stick man diagram of verbs that use être in the past tense. I was born, got up, went up-stairs, fell down, lay down…”

“Sad news – brilliant French teacher who I remember using up every second of a lesson and finishing with vocab”.

“DFK drove a traditional English half-timbered car”.

“..Morris 1000 Shooting Brake, – estate as they are now called”.

“Sad news… introduced me to French when at the Prep School and I can still vividly remember there was a building site near school at the time and DFK said listen to the pile driver machine it is teaching you French – the sound it made was like “pas de” and that has stuck with me since”.

“Bon Voyage Sir”.

“Brilliant French teacher. His rhyme about “de plus a thing is replaced by en” remains with me almost half a century later. I always remember the little grey note book that he made each of us have and which he had us fill out with his method of teaching French”.

“I still have the little grey notebook! It served me well at the Sorbonne after Wycliffe. Agreed. A great French teacher and if being a teacher is about passing on one’s knowledge and inspiring young people to follow your passion, a great teacher tout court”

“David King was a great teacher who gave me a brilliant introduction to French. His teaching method with overall structure but lots of variety in the lessons meant that he covered so much ground. His mnemonic for the verbs conjugated with être in the past tense is something that many of us commented [previously] – that and others have stayed with us for years. He was firm (slightly scary), but fair. Interesting to see him referred to as Clinker; in the mid 70’s he was Percy Rat. I’d forgotten about him not singing, but can picture him standing on the stage, looking around during assembly”.

“Sad news indeed, but good to hear his illness was short. I remember him well. I was told he was ‘Clinker’ because of the ‘clinking’ of his keys as he patrolled Ryeford at night – gave some warning to boys to pretend they were asleep”.

“I saw him about 13 years ago. Over coffee he told me how he was enjoying retirement, regularly meeting up with Bob Everett & Reg Helson for a walk and a beer. I wrote to him afterwards and received a reply in that very neat handwriting of his”.

“Just reading David King’s obit. I’d forgotten that he used to produce plays at the Junior School. He produced “The Gentle Knight”, which was the first play put on in the “new” assembly hall at Ryeford, circa 1969. I played the lead role, which I had to audition for against David Gwilym, who went on to become a professional actor. But I remember DFK’s kindness towards David when he told him he hadn’t got the part”.

“Many fond memories of DFK, a teacher whose lessons were never a drag such was his enthusiasm for the French language. May he rest in peace”.

“I remember David King for three reasons. Firstly – he taught me the French that I can continue to use to this day. Secondly, and more importantly, I remember him as a brilliant housemaster who – in a very understated way – was able to guide those of us who needed a little guidance!! Lastly, I remember him as the librarian at Ryeford always being there to suggest new books to read. RIP David”.

“Right now sitting on a ferry heading for France for the first time in ages. It is quite likely that my unexpected fluency at the bar just now is entirely due to DK. Merci bien M King”.

“Very sad to learn of DFK’s passing. The many comments here and elsewhere are testament to a life well lived and to a teacher who really made a difference. David possessed that rare gift of ability and discipline in equal measure. RIP”.

Extract taken from Wycliffe Star journal No 287 1992, at the time of David’s retirement:

THE COMMON ROOM

It was in September 1954 that David King was first appointed to Wycliffe Junior School as a teacher of French. Thirty-seven years later, on his sixtieth birthday – which happened to coincide with the last day of the Summer Term – he took retirement. During this period he served through changing headmasters and changing structures and through the introduction of co-education and National Curricula with no lessening of loyalty. His many interests and enthusiasms were shared with pupils and his long spell as Housemaster of Ryeford Hall showed him as a man of great commitment and concern.

It would be an almost impossible task to detail the many roles that he held in the school. It is said that an alphabetical list was compiled without any difficulty- in fact several letters had many possibilities. As with all Housemasters, they must be prepared to turn their hand to everything from counselling to cajoling; from carpentry to cleaning up. David was keen on cricket and ran the Club Competition for many seasons, enabling the less talented performers to get enjoyment from the game. His love of books made him an excellent Librarian, whilst his Stamp Club was well supported.

He had considerable talent as an actor, although his appearances were few. His interest in the theatre manifested itself in years of stage productions in which he imparted the skills and confidence of performance to many youngsters. Later on he turned his attentions to stage lighting, building up a useful technical crew to assist him.

Above all, David was a skilled teacher of French and for many years pupils would move up to the Senior School virtually ready to take O Level, such was the excellence of his teaching. Many OWs recall the soundness of the grounding that they received at Ryeford from DFK.

He assumed responsibility for the staff duty list – and managed to satisfy everyone’s requirements by entering his own name in far too many gaps. In the staff room his sense of humour and excellent advice will be greatly missed, but everyone hopes that David will have a long and happy retirement, enabling him to indulge in those activities that give him great pleasure, the theatre and travel.

At a farewell party at the end of the Summer Term, Andrew Williams, once one of David’s pupils and now a member of the Council of Governors, made a presentation on behalf of Old Wycliffians. David has asked that his thanks be conveyed via ‘The Star’ to all who contributed, too embarrassingly large a number for him to write personally. He assures them that they have contributed to making his home more comfortable and his evenings more culturally enjoyable.