Eric J Wright OH 1940-1945
Wednesday 19 June 2019
Passed away peacefully on June 19, aged 90 years. Much loved husband of Janet; dear father of Kate and inspirational grandfather of Georgina and James. A Service of Thanksgiving was held at St Andrew’s Church, Kingswood, Surrey.An excerpt from the Hereford Magazine, April 1946:“E J Wright (Forward) - our worthy captain has played throughout like the school-boy international he is. Strong and forceful, he picks up the ball at every opportunity, and has scored several good tries from solo efforts, using his powerful hand-off on the way. In the scrum, in line-outs and in the loose, his weight, height and fitness have been invaluable.”And from the same magazine a year later:Rowing: Eric Wright was a tower of strength: indeed some people consider his crew of 1945 the best the school has produced. Certainly it was a combination of weight and skill which enabled the HCS 1st VIII to win its races with great ease.”When Eric took up a post with Craigmillar in 1977 this was the report from the local newspaper:Appointed new head of Craigmillar division, (Eric Wright) is a man capable of inspiring confidence in anyone. First impressions are of a tall, athletic figure with easy but upright bearing, good features, and impeccably dressed. More often than not he has a cheerful twinkle in his eye – which can quickly turn to a steely determined glint when necessary, a well-developed sense of humour and a great deal of natural charm and wit.Early portents of his qualities came from his sporting activities at public school; this was at Hereford near his family home in Gloucestershire. He captained the school at rowing and rugby and also captained HCS at rowing and rugby for both the west of England and the England public schools’ teams.Eric’s daughter, Kate, said that her father told the family many stories of his happy memories about his life in Hereford at the school of which he was so proud.