P H 1938 - 1946
We have been notified of the sad death of Mike Hawkins. Our thoughts and best wishes go to those who knew him well.
We have no other information at the moment but as soon as we do, this webpage will be updated.
If you would like to have your memories of Mike posted on this webpage, please feel free to email them to TWS@wycliffe.co.uk
At Wycliffe:
Senior Prefect
Head of Haywardsfield
President of the Literary Society
Senior Sub. Troop Rover
Fl. Sgt. A.T.C.
President of the League
Rugby 1st XV
Cricket 1st XI
Library Committee, Choir, Dramatic Society
Michael O S Hawkins, known as MOSH by many throughout his time at school and university and in his early career, was a lifelong friend of Wycliffe.
Having gone to the Junior School in 1938, Michael was part of the cohort which was educated both in Stonehouse and in Lampeter. Michael enjoyed school life to the full being active in both rugby and cricket, President of the Literary and Debating Society, a senior Rover Scout, Flight Sergeant, A.T.C and a member of the Choir and Opera and Dramatic Society as well as Head Boy. His fondness for amateur dramatics culminated at Wycliffe in a production of the Mikado and on meeting some others of the cast at the Wycliffe at Lampeter 2019 reunion, they broke into a few of the ditties from the show. Not bad after 70 years! The routines, disciplines and sense of adventure particularly under headmaster WA Sibley had a lifelong impact on him and his Christian upbringing at Wycliffe stayed with him all his life.
On leaving Wycliffe, Michael did his National Service in the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Signalman on board HMS Rocket before going up to St. John’s College Cambridge where he read economics. Michael took the Colonial Service course at Cambridge and went out to Kenya in 1951 to start a 20-year career in the colonial service. After 11 years in Kenya, Michael and the family moved down to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana, where Michael had several Permanent Secretary roles helping to develop the infrastructure to set the country on the road to independence. On leaving the colonial service Michael returned to the UK and spent the rest of his career with Hampshire County Council, notably working on the redevelopment of the law courts and the Great Hall.
On taking early retirement, Michael enjoyed life initially in West Sussex before moving up to Cheshire to be closer to the family, the main drawback being that this took him further away from his beloved Lord’s where he had been a member of the MCC since 1957. Michael died on 15th February after a short illness.
