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David was born in Hankow, China (an area that is now Wuhan) in 1940 to parents John and Ellen and later, brother to Deborah. John was serving abroad with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). As the Sino-Japanese War/WWII escalated David and family were evacuated, leaving for the UK in July ’42 eventually arriving in Liverpool, April ’43.
David started at Heath Mount Prep School, Hertford in 1947 before moving to Lancing College, as a scholar in 1954. He had a very enjoyable and successful time at Lancing where he excelled at modern languages while also finishing as Head of Gibbs’ House and Head of School. Over the years he maintained close contact with many contemporaries from his time at Lancing and was delighted for his son Ben (Gibbs’ 1985-1989) and granddaughter Amelia Lloyd-Wickham (Fields’ 2013-2018) to follow in his footsteps. In 1959 he went up to Clare College, Cambridge, where he studied Arabic.
Upon graduation and with a mastery of European modern languages and Arabic he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the FCO. His successful career with the FCO took him initially to Lebanon to further hone his Arabic skills at the Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies (MECAS) and followed with postings to Kuwait, Colombia, Spain, Saudi Arabia, The Ivory Coast, and finally as HM British Ambassador to Slovenia.
He married Janet in 1964 with whom he had his first two children Victoria and Ben. He married Katie in 1985 with whom he had three more daughters, Mia, Rosellen and Felicia.
Following his retirement from the FCO he spent the next 10 years consulting for the Middle East Association using his long-term connections and linguistic skills to facilitate private UK investment into the region. He also maintained very close ties to Slovenia where he returned as a frequent guest for numerous personal and professional engagements.
He was a role model to many and a devoted and loyal friend to many more. He was a mentor and a confidant; he was a man of quiet strength. No task was ever too small or too great for him. Whether it was helping a friend or neighbour, solving a problem or being the voice and fighting for those that could not be heard.
His latter years were spent helping his children in all manner of family activities, doting on his nine grandchildren and spending time with his partner Elizabeth with whom he continued to travel widely.
David passed away in July this year after a very short battle with cancer. He had without doubt a full and fascinating life, had no regrets and was grateful to have had the chance to spend time with and say farewells to so many friends and family in his last few days.
Ben Lloyd (Gibbs' 1985-1989)