Head's Newsletter 26 November 2021

Remembrance

From World War two, we remembered John Curtis Jackson, 1922 - 1943 (Tiffin 1933 - 1940) He lived in New Malden and first went to Christ Church Junior School. He joined Tiffin in September 1933 and the school magazine described him as having a brilliant career at school being a first - rate scholar and sportsman. In his last year at school he was Captain of Livingstone House being a member of the House Soccer, Cricket, Swimming and Chess teams. He was also House Captain of Rugby and Shooting and obtained School Colours for Rugby, Swimming and Diving, and Water Polo.

John joined the newly formed Air Defence Cadet Corps when the first unit to be formed in Kingston was established at the School in 1938. He was a prefect and Deputy Head Boy in 1940. Not only would John have experienced going down the shelters along the gym path in 1940, but he would have witnessed the large anti - aircraft guns sited on the school field to protect the Canbury aircraft factories. The bases and wiring for the guns were removed when we put in the MUGA in 2011, and the last remains of the gym path air raid shelters were removed when we built the recent sports hall extension.

Having left Tiffin in December 1940, aged 18, he went straight into the Royal Engineers under the Special Entry Scheme. He was sent as a Cadet officer to Jesus College, Cambridge, on an intensive course of constructional engineering. On completing this course he was offered a place to complete his degree course once the war was over, but did not survive to do so. In November 1942 he was part of the Anglo - American invasion of North Africa, led by American General Dwight D Eisenhower, fighting against Germany and her Italian allies. Having landed in Algeria his unit was employed in improving the roads and the use of Bailey Bridges. In the spring of 1943 his unit was clearing land mines from abandoned Italian defences prior to the major assault upon Tunis when he was killed in action. John Curtis Jackson was just 20 years of age when he died. He is buried in the CWGC cemetery at Oued Zarga in western Tunisia, and remembered on our war memorial. On the news of his death his mother wrote a poignant letter to the Head, Mr Dean, with words which are still relevant today.

“ School to him was only second to his home and we appreciate the happy atmosphere which always seemed to be Tiffins. It must be a great sorrow to you that so many of the boys are in this ghastly war, and our hope is that the young ones will be urged to take sufficient interest in seeing that their sons and daughters are not so called upon. ” No better epitaph to the importance of remembrance could be expressed.