My father, Rodney Bowen, who attended Chichester High School for Boys between 1943 and 1951, sadly passed away on April 21st 2019. He was School Captain in 1950, a Prefect and member of the school’s 1st XV. I have a copy of Roger Wardale’s book, ‘Chi High 1928 – 1958’, which has a few photographs and references to my dad. He was a contemporary of Robin Pearce and Chris Ticehurst.
From: David Wise RIP Rodney…..You were School Captain when I was at Chi High 1949-1953.
From: Geoff Wills: Many of my immediate contemporaries will regret to hear of Rodney’s passing at the end of April. A fine upstanding person I remember him to be in our schooldays, who was universally popular and successful in both academic and sporting fields. He rose through the ranks to become School Captain – the pinnacle of achievement in CHSB terms – with no less a person than a future Major General, one Chris Ticehurst – as his deputy as the blue be-tasselled Vice-Captain. Whilst our paths crossed little during our early days at CHSB due to a slight difference in academic achievements, I did become a prefect in later years and was in a position to witness his articulate condemnation of inappropriate behaviour on the part of unfortunate junior miscreants who appeared before the assembled “Prefects Court”. As one would expect of him he conducted proceedings in a top-quality formal manner and summarised each individual case with clarity and compassion prior to when six of the best were administered by Monkey Watson. As in so many cases, one loses touch with one’s contemporaries when one’s school days come to an end, but we did meet up again at the centenary reunion when I was pleased to see that his sense of humour had not deserted him. May I have the temerity to suggest that an amendment requires to be made in respect of his time at CHSB. I am firmly of the opinion that his tenure at CHSB commenced in 1944 — the 14th September to be exact – but most certainly ended in July 1951. Rodney – one of the best, you certainly were a credit to CHSB
10 May 2019