Colin Nigel Dallison

OP 1941-1948

2 May 1930  - 11 January 2021

Born in Portsmouth, Colin joined the Lower School in May 1941, where he was recorded as having ‘rendered splendid service in the school choir’ and became a Jerrard House prefect. In the Upper School, he would be a stalwart of the Choral Society and a member of the Gramophone Society. An accomplished sportsman, he played for the Latter House football and cricket sides and excelled at Eton Fives. Captain of School Athletics, he was a School Prefect and, in 1947, winner of the annual Modern Languages Prize. Colin was a sergeant in the Air Training Corps contingent, before its amalgamation into the CCF. Running for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight team in the ATC national championships at Taunton in 1947, he won the Junior Mile race.

During school holidays, Colin joined an intrepid collection of outdoor enthusiasts, who regularly camped under the guidance of D J Gosden (OP 1937-47). Once he appeared with a bicycle slung over his shoulder, its front wheel severely buckled. Perhaps that prompted his mysterious nickname ‘Bumps’.

After National Service, he joined HM Customs & Excise for a career, which entailed a spell of duty in Scotland. There he developed a lasting interest in hill-walking and skiing. He conveyed his deep love of music to his two daughters and was a keen ornithologist, adept at identifying every visitor to the bird table on the patio and inspiring Jenny and Clare actively to share his interest. Developing an abiding interest in social history, he meticulously photographed and catalogued ‘endless pictures of drain covers, letters boxes and street furniture’.

In later years, he and his wife Marjorie lived in Hexham, where he was awarded the titles of Honorary Steward and Bailiff of Hexham by the Town Council in 2009 and Guardian of Hexham Abbey in 2015 in recognition of his long-standing, dedicated work for those communities.

A devoted father and grandfather, Colin never lost the characteristic twinkle in his eye, air of calm efficiency and thoughtfulness for others displayed during his years at PGS.