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There is a picture of the three Bell brothers, Jasper, John and Anthony. John is in the middle and he has a most mischievous and charming smile on his face. He was clearly a young boy with what I would describe as a ‘a spark’. That spark never left him.
John was born on February the 7th 1932. His father St. John was an OL who was a fine sportsman and his mother Mildred was a talented musician. After a happy time at Great Walstead under the headmastership of RJ Mole, John arrived at Sanderson’s in 1945 where his Housemaster was Basil Hanford. John would always have a great deal of affection and respect for Basil and his impression of him was accurate and amusing.
After Lancing John won an exhibition to read Classics at Hertford College Oxford where he indulged his passion for drama and found a new one in the form of rowing. Having finished with a double third, something we never let him forget, especially when he was advising us to work hard at University, he was drawn towards the classroom. Perhaps the seeds of his career had been planted when he was at Bramcote school on the North Eastern coast where he was plied with brandy to help him warm up after teaching the boys how to swim in freezing water; only the gap students were made to get in the water! He taught at Gresham’s before making his way back to Lancing, to re-join the classics department.
As a real “people person” teaching was the perfect job for John and he was hugely popular with pupils, colleagues and parents. He was an enthusiastic Classicist and was passionate about the ancient world as many trips to Greece and Italy with both family and students will testify. His Greek and Latin sets were usually populated with highly intelligent pupils for whom John would spend hours ensuring that he had the text perfectly worked out. His Ancient History sets demanded a different style of pedagogy and his red herrings, usually about holidays in the Mediterranean and involving food were legendary and entertaining. His occasional chants of ‘Seagulls Seagulls’ were always over the top and he enjoyed using his dramatic skills at the slightest excuse.
His dramatic skills were put to frequent use as he directed several plays and Noyes Fludde in the chapel. He also enjoyed performing in the staff and pupil Gilbert and Sullivan collaborations. He was partial to a patter song but not learning lines and some of his co-stars had to use their ingenuity if they were following or waiting for a line from John. He was also a keen musician and sang and played the oboe and the piano wonderfully badly much to the amusement of the boys in his house at the Gibbs' House concerts. Although not really a keen sportsman, he ran the Fives at Lancing for years and loved the amazing teas that Elisabeth, his wife, used to produce.
It was as a Housemaster that perhaps John will be best remembered. He took over Gibbs' in 1967 and was at the helm for 17 years eventually retiring as a Housemaster in 1985. The reason he was a successful Housemaster is that he loved the boys in his charge. He saw the good in everyone and had a natural empathy for the teenage world. He knew when to turn a blind eye to something that ‘wasn’t really important’. He also knew when a ‘word’ was required and would wade in should he need to, whether it be ticking us off for drinking cider or standing in a field and asking some locals to depart, whilst facing an onslaught of bricks and stones.
He will also be remembered for his driving. There were various incidents involving minibuses including reversing into the wall of a pub near Bradfield, driving through red lights with alarming regularity and keeping to the left side of the road on holidays abroad. Such moments never really phased John. He was by nature a touch anarchic. Rules were there as a guide.
Laughter is a word synonymous with John. At his memorial service Adrian Arnold and I were able to regale the assembled throng with numerous stories that would have had John hooting with laughter in his very distinct manner. Always a community-minded figure he was a governor of the Archbishop Michael Ramsey School in Camberwell and when he retired from Lancing he threw himself in the local community where he lived in Upper Beeding, becoming a lay reader at St Peter’s Church and supporting the various rectors who ruled there! He also enjoyed coaching a few keen adult classicists and helping the odd teenager in need of a classics boost before an impending exam.
Through all of this he was supported by Elisabeth, his wife for nearly 54 years. His rock, who as he never ceased to enjoy telling us made him “the most spoiled man in Upper Beeding”. What a team, only death could part them. We will miss that hooting laughter and the quizzical, raised, shaggy eyebrow. Above all we will miss a very kind, loving, forgiving and wise man. Our loss is heaven’s gain. They could probably do with a bit of John ’s humour to poke fun at some of the more earnest followers up there! He really was as Adrian Arnold said, “The best of men”.
Giles Bell (Sanderson's 1979-1984), son