Neil Young (1951-56)
Died 27th February 2023, aged 85
This tribute was written by Tony Wright OMT (1950-1957).
Neil and I first met in Reid’s Upper IVB in 1951. We later moved together on to the Modern Side, and a friendship formed which has lasted ever since.
We enjoyed cricket together at School and then for OMTCC, although his spinning talents usually saw him playing at a somewhat higher level than mine. When I later started to take an interest in golf, he was kind enough to sponsor my initial membership at Chorleywood Golf Club, with which there were strong Young family connections.
Our friendship was particularly strengthened by our mutual love of jazz. This coincided at MTS with the creation of the band by our contemporary, Richard Willcox, and led in later years to regular Saturday evenings together at the Rickmansworth Jazz Club. These were usually followed by hospitality at Neil’s family home on the Chorleywood Road.
I more recent times I was pleased to see him at OMT FALIC lunches and, with Paddy, at Chorleywood gatherings organised by fellow OMT, Rod O’Donoghue (1951-56).
The photograph below (obviously taken some years ago!) is of a distinguished OMTCC Thames Tour group in which we both took part. Neil is sitting in the front row to the right of Chris Armstrong and Geoff Ascott.
Great memories!
Tony Wright
Thames Tour 1961
Standing (from left):
Chris Younger (1960), Tony Wright (1957), Tim Collins, Richard Whatmoor (1949), Roy Hutchins (1954), John Skrimshire (1959), Paul Smith (1955), Derek Stevenson (1951)
Sitting (from left):
Chris Armstrong (1947), Geoff Ascott (1949), Neil Young (1956)