John died peacefully, after a short illness, with family by his side.

A boarder in Wright House, John was given the role of School Prefect in his final year. Old Tridents present at his funeral on 19 June, at Oakley Wood Crematorium, were Tony Reynolds (Wright 1962 – 1968), Phil Manser (Wright 1962 – 1965) and Andy Bourne (Shuker 1961 – 1964). A wide circle of friends was in attendance as well as John’s family.

The service included recognition of his working life with the family firm, Charles Hill, based in Warwick. Mention was also made of his lifelong love of Cornwall, which continued from childhood holidays to the same place each summer. This linked to John’s love of trains via the Cornish Riviera Express.

Andy Bourne provided a contribution which told of John’s long journeys to photograph trains that interested him as well as his ongoing interest in Preserved Steam. John also had an extensive layout at home.

Music was a lifelong passion. After leaving Trent, John was involved with bands playing live music. In his later years, he played live music and ‘open mic’ sessions with a variety of friends and acquaintances. Their respect for his guitar prowess, phenomenal memory for lyrics and strong singing voice was made clear.

Those present at his funeral were encouraged to sing along to John’s choice of music, which included tracks by David Bowie, The Walker Brothers, Bob Dylan and movingly, Dance Me To The End Of Love by his adored Leonard Cohen.

A contribution about friendship came from Tony Reynolds. They had been friends for 64 years and spoke a great deal in John’s final weeks. An early memory was in 1965 when Wright Senior House only won three cups – an unlikely mix of Rugby, Work and Music. Without John there would have been no Music Cup as he played all the instrumental parts as well as singing in the House Choir.

Until Parkinsons held him back in recent years, John would invite friends to lunch and tea. In the afternoon, he would take guests on a surprise drive to somewhere that he knew would be of interest to them. He would have done his research and acted as a very informative guide. His various friends came to refer to these outings affectionately as Hill’s Tours. It was typically John to make such an effort for his friends.

As a schoolboy, John was outwardly serious and dutiful. If you came to know him better, this was livened by his irreverent sense of humour. As time passed, his volume increased, and he left you in no doubt about his views! Nobody who knew John will forget him.

Thank you to Tony Reynolds for kindly providing the obituary tribute.