Henry Head joined the Rugby School in September 1963, after education at Gordonstoun and King’s College, Cambridge and a year’s teaching at Bryanston. He was allocated lodgings in 12, Hillmorton Road, a thriving ‘bachelor colony’ of six enthusiastic beaks who knew everything going on in the School and played active parts in most of it. Although he was always modest about his mathematical skills, “after all, I only read Engineering”, his patience and his ability to give thorough and disciplined grounding meant his pupils invariably performed well in exams. An engineer he may have been, but he was invited to revise the well-established maths text book Channon McLeish Smith, and royalties from this came in to the end of his days.

He became a Bradley tutor, first with the Dazeleys then the Helliwells. His commitment to his tutees’ wellbeing was absolute and many remained his friends throughout his life. He was the lone pioneer of what was called in those days computing. The boys would write programmes by punching cards and Henry would cycle down to the Tech to have them processed. He started a Sunday morning Christian Discussion Group and he took boys sailing and brass-rubbing.

In 1970 Henry married teacher Jenny Allcock, niece of well- established Michell Housemaster Jack. Fiona and Angus were born, and in 1972 Henry with great happiness became Head of Careers.

In 1975 Henry was invited to take over Sheriff, but it was the wrong move at the wrong time. 1970s housemastering was very different, with no supporting resident house tutor of resident matron. A ‘senior wife’ said to Jenny when discussing the problems of having a young family “Well, you’ll just have to get a nanny, won’t you”. Housemaster-pupil relations were also different then with the boys expecting the green baize door to be firmly closed. Henry and Jenny made friends with many boys and parents but were still professionally kept at arm’s length. Recognising this, Henry in April 1977 accepted the post of Head of Mathematics at Hautlieu School, Jersey.

Clare and Peter were born in Jersey and Henry became Deputy Head at Hautlieu and then Assistant Director of Education for the island. In 1992 they moved to Salisbury where Henry became Diocesan Director of Education for the Church of England, a Lay Reader, a Lay Canon of the cathedral, and after his retirement in 2002 a Lay Chaplain there as well as Diocesan Inspector of Church Schools. He was a governor of local primary and secondary schools for many years, and he and Jenny were closely involved in the life Winterbourne Dauntsey parish.

Henry was gentle, kind and humble, and always a ‘people person’. He loved meeting people of all sorts and backgrounds and finding out their interests and opinions. Nothing gave him greater happiness than his close family life and he was rightly proud of his four children, the second of whom, Angus, became a highly admired housemaster at Haileybury. He was a great reader, with a strong interest in 20th century history, a fine teacher, in the classroom and in his thoughtful and well-constructed church sermons. He is buried in the parish churchyard, between the church and the school, a fitting place for one whose life was centred on faith and education.

Adapted from a contribution by friend Charles Hastings.