Alistair Mitchell - Obit.

Foregate Chambers very sadly announced that one of our own, Counsel Mr Alistair Mitchell, passed away on Sunday 10th February 2019. He had been battling with cancer for many years and continued his fight to the very end. All those who knew him personally and/or professionally will appreciate that he was an amazing person, a caring and brilliant advocate with a wonderful sense of humour. This is a great loss to so many people whose lives Alistair affected and he will always be remembered as a very unique man, ready to support and assist those in most need!

On the 5th of March 2018 Alistair sent in memories of his time at Shene that can be read in the Intakes 1960 - 1969 section of the site.

John Viles - Obit.

John died in December 2011 aged 77. He was a former Norwich city librarian who was also responsible for a network of a dozen branches.

He had started his career in the library service at Barnes, Surrey, where he initially worked for a senior librarian, later to be his wife, Claire.

When he was appointed divisional librarian for Norwich in July 1976, he welcomed the opportunity to enhance the high reputation of the library service in the city. Norwich had pioneered the concept of public lending libraries more than a century earlier.

After completing his education at Shene Grammar School, Richmond, he did his two years' National Service with the Royal Army Service Corps and spent 12 months in Korea.

He had moved to Surrey in 1964 where he became a district librarian until the 1974 re-organisation of local government, when he was appointed assistant county librarian for Surrey's central group of libraries.

In August 1988, following reorganisation of the library service, he took early retirement and then undertook further studies as part of the Workers' Education Association programmes at Wensum Lodge.

He was also a volunteer guide for many years at Dragon Hall, where he was also a former treasurer.

In the south Norfolk village of Pulham Market, where he lived for many years, he was involved with local groups including Home Watch and also the Pulham Market Society.

He leaves a widow, Claire, and daughter, Helen.

John Springhall 1943 - 2015

John Springhall, who has died aged 71, was a pioneer in the field of youth studies who also wrote widely on imperialism, decolonisation and British and US popular culture.

He was born in Richmond, Surrey, to Onslow, a compositor, and Iris (nee Bradford), who worked in her family’s butcher’s shop in Battersea, south-west London, and enjoyed his education at Shene grammar school for boys from 1955 to 1962. At the University of Sussex he was the first student to take a first in history and completed his PhD in 1968. He cited AJP Taylor’s television lectures, Asa Briggs, EP Thomson and Raphael Samuel as important influences on his intellectual development.

John worked for the Greater London council’s Blue Plaque scheme and Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University) before joining the New University of Ulster at Coleraine (now Ulster University at Coleraine) in 1970, where he remained for the rest of his career. He published six books and retired as a reader in 2004.

John’s first book, Youth, Empire and Society: British Youth Movements 1883-1940 (1977), developed his doctoral thesis and led to his appointment as co-ordinating editor of the centenary history of the Boys’ Brigade. The result, Sure and Steadfast: A History of the Boys’ Brigade 1883 to 1983 (1983), was described by one reviewer as a “proper and readable centenary celebration … a significant contribution to social, indeed to imperial history”.

In the 1980s and 90s John continued to explore youth and popular culture through Coming of Age: Adolescence in Britain, 1860-1960 (1986) and Youth, Popular Culture and Moral Panics: Penny Gaffs to Gangsta-Rap 1830-1996 (1998). John also wrote on the legacies of empire, authoring Decolonization Since 1945 (2001) for the series that he edited with his colleague Tom Fraser, Studies in Contemporary History.

On retiring, John remained in Norther Ireland. He indulged his passions for jazz and for American films, and pursued an active social life with regular trips to visit friends and family in England.

He found time for a final book that reflected his cultural interests, The Genesis of Mass Culture: Show Business Live in America 1840-1940 (2008) and for frequent articles for popular publications, such as the Historical Association’s magazine, Historian. He was a highly respected scholar who had a particular skill for bringing serious history to wide audiences through an approachable style.

John is survived by his mother and his brother, Christopher.

The UCL School of Eastern and Slavonic Studies is sad to announce the death on 17th June 2019 of Michael Branch, Director of SSEES from 1980 to 2001 and Professor of Finnish.

Michael’s association with the School lasted for more than 40 years, from his arrival as an undergraduate in 1959 to his retirement in 2001 after he had secured the School’s new place in UCL. His academic achievements as a scholar of Finnish were matched by his many achievements as Director, during which he steered the School successfully through a period of remarkable change both institutionally and in its region of study.

A gifted linguist at school, Michael had been expected to study Modern Languages at Oxford. A summer visit to Finland in 1958 sparked his interest in Finno-Ugrian languages, and he chose instead to study at SSEES, registering in 1959 for a BA in Hungarian Language and Literature with Swedish as a subsidiary. He followed this with a PhD in 1967 entitled The development of A.J. Sjögren as a scholar and the role he played in developing Finnish studies as an academic subject. An appointment as assistant lecturer and then lecturer in Hungarian and Finno-Ugrian Studies followed. In 1972 he relinquished that post to accept a newly created lectureship in Finnish Language and Literature. Five years later he was promoted to Reader, becoming Professor of Finnish in 1980. Also in that year, Michael was appointed as Director of SSEES, a role he held alongside his academic duties until he retired in 2001.

As a visionary and enthusiastic teacher, Michael is credited with establishing the Finnish degrees at SSEES, building them from virtually nothing. His dedication and considerable achievements won him the respect of Finnish university authorities who, in consultation with him, established and strengthened academic ties with English universities. The Finnish government also took advice from Michael on their overseas cultural policy and, from 1971 he was able to secure from the Finnish Ministry of Education the secondment to SSEES of a Finnish lector paid for by the Finnish authorities.

Michael’s published work is held in equal high standing. Based on research begun for his PhD, he is credited with having written the definitive monograph on Sjögren (1973). He edited and authored several publications on the Kalevala and verse folklore. The Finnish Folk Poetry Epic (1977), completed through collaboration with, Matti Kuusi and Keith Bosley, is an extensive work on the original notes on Kalevala-metre narrative poetry published in both Finnish and English. The Great Bear (1993) is a verse folklore anthology edited by Michael with Lauri Honko and Senni Timonen. It provides a broad thematic cross-section of the oral poetry of the Finno-Ugric peoples. In addition, Michael wrote numerous articles on the languages and cultures of the Finno-Ugric peoples.

As Director of SSEES, Michael worked tirelessly to build up the strengths of the School and continuously assert its importance as the leading source of expertise on Russia and Eastern Europe. After the fall of communism, Michael recognised the importance of forging and maintaining strong academic and governmental links with each country of the former Communist bloc. His determination and diplomacy resulted in a number of formal agreements which brought numerous scholars from the region to the School on teaching and research fellowships, greatly to their benefit and that of the School. Among highlights of his period as Director were visits by President Lennart Meri of Estonia and Vaclav Havel, the newly elected President of Czechoslovakia.

Michael’s many achievements are attested by a long list of memberships, awards and honours. He was elected member of the Finno-Ugrian Society Helsinki (1973), Finnish Literature Society Helsinki (1974), and Portham Society Turku (1975). He received the Centenary Medal of the Finnish Literature Society (1977) and the third Kalevala Society Award (2008); was appointed a Commander of the Finnish Order of the Lion (1980), the Polish Order of Merit (1992), the Estonian Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2000) and Officer of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (2002). He held an honorary degree from the University of Oulu (1983) and was elected a Fellow of UCL. In the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2000 Michael was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Michael’s well deserved retirement was marred by the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. He died peacefully after a long illness, leaving three daughters: Jane, Ann and Jean and 8 grandchildren. His wife of 43 years, Ritva-Riitta Hannele, predeceased him in 2016.

Alistair Mitchell sent me these details of his life, set out below, on the 5th March 2018. Subsequently Foregate Chambers very sadly announced that one of our own, Counsel Mr Alistair Mitchell, passed away on Sunday 10th February 2019.  He had been battling with cancer for many years and continued his fight to the very end.  All those who knew him personally and/or professionally will appreciate that he was an amazing person, a caring and brilliant advocate with a wonderful sense of humour.  This is a great loss to so many people whose lives Alistair affected and he will always be remembered as a very unique man, ready to support and assist those in most need!

This is a brief outline of my memories from Shene at the start of the 1970’s. It is short because I am preparing to ingest a new drug tomorrow at QEHB (Daratmumab) to continue a fight against Myeloma and I have no idea what, if any, side effects it may herald.

I went to Shene around 1969 from Westfields Primary and was relatively happy there for the first three years. I liked English with Mr Weedon, languages and art but was at a loss to understand most technical subjects.

I remember that the builders completed the gym with one end wall having breezeblocks with no interleaving! It had to be rebuilt.

Making a moderate contribution to the cricket team I was allowed to spin bowl occasionally and fail with the bat inevitably. Rugby brought more success. Securing a place as the hooker - ‘Mad Mitch’ - as I was known, scrummed down in many a game for Shene. Whenever we played our mortal rivals, Reigate GS, fighting would break out even before we left the changing rooms. I have a vague memory of being sent off for ‘foot up’ some 15 seconds after our scrum half kicked off in one game. Years later, I worked with Keir Starmer (now Sir K. Starmer QC ex-DPP) pro-bono on the McLibel case for two anarchists who’d offended McDonalds with a leaflet. He was also involved with the Trafalgar Square Defendants’ Campaign. He was brilliant and incredibly helpful, but there was always something that I disliked about him. I just could not put my finger on it though. Until I found out he went to…Reigate GS!

A supply teacher for Physics called Colonel Lowery arrived. This poor man was a pushover for anarchic Monty Python-sated elements (perhaps 50% of the class). One pupil would run out feigning a fit. Then another pelted after him saying: “It’s alright Sir, I’ll fetch him back!” and so on. Meanwhile the class artillery improvised ballistas with U taps and strong rubber bands, letting fly volleys of multi-coloured chalks at the unfortunate Colonel’s baldhead. Eventually, these regular affrays were broken up once they came to the attention of Ronald Friggins, our feared Deputy Head.

Two factors combined to ensure my education spiraled downward.

Firstly, I’d been brought up in a single-parent family since I was four and craved my absent father’s attention, Everyone else seemed to have a dad who’d take them to football on a Saturday, whilst I made do with the occasional trip to Highbury with my grandfather. My dad was on stage a lot as a poet and I’d see him three or four times a year in that role. I suppose it was his ‘radical’ stance, which attracted me and encouraged emulation on my part, trying to get closer to him. Doing family cases and representing criminals at the Bar, I met so many young people with similar ‘attention-seeking’ issues; alienated from one parent or the other or damaged in the fostering and care system. When my dad was to be called as an expert witness in the Oz Obscenity Trial, I sneaked into the Old Bailey and saw Richard Neville representing himself superbly. Inspired, I joined the ‘Friendz of Oz’ – and got thoroughly corrupted! Interest in schoolwork fell away and I lived for rock gigs and free festivals at Windsor and Stonehenge.

Secondly, as an Arsenal fan, I was up against the form’s numerous Chelsea supporters and suffered a fair amount of bullying. Keeping an eye out for ambushes occupied a lot of the time I should have been studying.

By the fifth year, I was thoroughly disillusioned and performed abysmally in the ‘O’ Levels, going out the night before most of the exams, most notably to the last night of the ‘Barnes Commune’ – an event that left me, shall we say, light-headed during the Geography ‘O’ Level the next morning but not as adrift as one from Fife House -who OD’d on an, ordinarily-prescribed, medicine - and was smuggled out of the gym by a pack of us at the end.

The underground I thirsted after did not emerge at Shene and I headed off to squat in the wilds of Wales until 1977, when I returned to London just in time to pogo up and down to The Clash, move to Brixton and see the emergence of another Shene classmate, Vic Napper, as the singer with the Subway Sect. Truly, it was bright new dawn for the alternative society.

It was only years later, I went back into education at Southbank University after driving trucks and forklifts for 9.5 years, that I developed a taste for learning again. I wish I’d done it earlier and been ‘further ahead’ at the Bar now. It was a real struggle trying to learn again but I’m glad I persevered. I’ve had an enjoyable 21 years at the Bar doing all sorts of common law work in all manner of courts and tribunals. On 23rd January 2018 I received very bad news from my consultant haematologist. I decided I did not have the mental and physical stamina or concentration to continue at the Bar and needed to ‘spend more time with my family’ – Alex and the Mitchell Bros (don’t mess!).

BBC News Sunday 13th March 2020. The poll tax riot of 1990 was one of the most violent UK protests in recent history. More than 500 people were arrested during the trouble in London, which broke out during protest against the unpopular Community Charge. Alistair Mitchell found himself trapped in Whitehall during the disturbances. He was convicted for assault and spent time in two prisons before having his conviction quashed by judicial review years later. He sued the police for wrongful arrest and imprisonment and used the money to study law and become a barrister, this is his story.

‘My wife the girlfriend, and her partner were making a video film about the poll tax movement, and my role was to take stills. I was to climb up a sturdy, steel bus-stop, and ended up about seven feet in the air, and I was able to have a much better view up there, and shot off a series of stills. A lot of what I saw I’d never seen before in my life. I was taken aback. It was difficult to know what to focus on. Eventually I was looking all around for my colleagues. I couldn’t see them at all, they were lost, so I made my way northwards to try and find them. I saw quite a number of people being arrested by the police, but then I saw a young man. I caught a glimpse of him through the legs of four or five policemen who were around him. It was clear that one of the officers around him - I couldn’t tell who - had his thumbs under his chin. I shouted out something like, ‘Don’t do that you could kill him’. Having shouted this I noticed a couple of the officers peel off from the group and make towards me. And one of them said – book this one in for obstruction and assault on me. To my surprise I was charged with actual bodily harm – alleged to be a bite on policeman’s hand. I had no recollection whatsoever the next morning of my teeth having been anywhere near a policemen’s, letting alone having bitten a policeman. I was eventually cleared in mid 1993 – it was a long time to wait for justice.’