George Mathison

George Robert Mathison, OBE, (CLS Sep 1938 – April 1944), died peacefully at home on 26 September 2024, aged 98.

In September 1939 after the outbreak of the WW2, George was evacuated with the rest of the City of London School to Marlborough College. During his time at CLS he excelled at all sports, particularly those requiring good hand/eye coordination. He was captain of the 1st XI hockey team (playing at centre-half and apparently one of the few who could use the ‘flick pass’ effectively), played hooker for the 1st XV rugby team and opened the batting for the 1st XI cricket team, winning his colours in all disciplines and the Fielding Cap in cricket. He also represented the school in squash and cross country running and represented his House in numerous other sports disciplines.

His leadership capabilities were recognised by the school where he was House Captain and Prefect. He was also a Corporal (Cert A) in the Home Guard Signals Platoon receiving the Proficiency Certificate in 1938.

In December 1943, he volunteered to join the army at the tender age of 17. In April 1944, George left CLS to join the Royal Signals Regiment and attended a 6 month Wireless and Electronics course at Hertford College, Oxford University where he played for the college 1st XI cricket team and won his colours. Then off to Worcester and Catterick for army training where his leadership potential was immediately noticed and he was recommended to attend the War Office Selection Board (WOSB) in January 1945. He was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in February 1945 at Mhow, India and served with the Royal Signals in North India and Singapore where he attained the rank of Captain by the age of 21.

After being demobbed in December 1947, he initially worked as a ‘Progress Chaser’ for Standard Telephones and Cables before going up to Oxford University where he studied PPE at Hertford College. Never one to shy away from hard, physical work, George took a holiday job as a Dustbin Man to help fund his university education. After graduating in 1951, he joined J&P Coats in their Management Graduate Scheme. After two years of extensive training in Selling, Manufacturing, Finance and Stock Control, his career took him to Austria, Holland (where he met his wife, Anneke), then India, Pakistan, Colombia and Belgium where his ability to turn loss making businesses around and protect jobs was recognised with the award of an Order of the British Empire medal (OBE) in 1979.

After a long and distinguished career overseas with Coats, in July 1987 he was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Whitecroft Lydney Ltd, a company manufacturing small metal wares for the Haberdashery trade, until he finally retired in May 1990 in Eastry, Kent where he was very active in the local community. He served as a Parish Councillor, Honourable Treasurer of the League of Friends of Eastry Hospital and Chairman of the Conservative Party Association, hosting the village fete and numerous other charitable fund raising events in his beloved house and garden.

He enjoyed throwing parties and was a very generous and enterprising host, inventing many games and injecting a real sense of fun into any social gathering. Most of all, he loved music and dancing and would often stay up late listening to music.

Although slight of stature, George was a natural leader who possessed great courage, intelligence and empathy. He had the ability to find a way through any problem no matter the obstacles, and had the grit and determination to see things through and to “soldier on” through adversity. His beloved wife, Anneke, predeceased him in 2004 after a long battle with cancer. George will be much missed and is survived by his younger brother, Ian Mathison (Class of 1951 ), and his sister, Margaret, and his three children: Neil, Marina and Ronald.

With thanks to George’s brother Ian Mathison (Class of 1951) for this obituary.