The Revd Canon Robin Fletcher (1943-51) passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early morning of Friday 20th May 2016.
Robin had been suffering for the past few years from a debilitating auto immune condition known as Myasthenia Gravis
which he had combated with great stoicism leading as near a normal life as possible and walking, until recently, up to 5 miles a day.
The Bancroftian of December 1951 recorded that Robin was Secretary of the Literary and Debating Society, an Under Officer in the CCF, a Bancroft’s Player and an East House Monitor.
The fact that he was recorded as being a Monitor barely tells the real story.
He was appointed by Sidney Adams at the Great Hall Service on his last day at school with the words “From this day forth etc…………”
Whether his appointment as a Monitor in this way was something of a rebuke to “Taffy” Jenkins, Robin’s House Master in East, or just a late recognition of his leadership qualities, or indeed a
combination of the two, is something that can only be surmised.
It was, nonetheless, a somewhat unusual and unique distinction that has probably never occurred either before or since. It certainly amused Robin that, taking Sidney Adam’s words literally, he
remained an East House Monitor for the rest of his life!!!
Robin went to Nottingham University where he graduated in Theology and then to Ridley Hall, Cambridge.
He spent his entire working life in the Anglican Ministry, first as a Curate in Barnet and then as Vicar of Wollaton Park in Nottingham.
He subsequently became Vicar of Clifton in York and served as Rural Dean of York for 17 years. He was also a Canon of York Minster.
Whilst Vicar of Clifton his church became the first Anglican Church in which a woman conducted a marriage service when Robin, who strongly favoured the ordination of women, arranged for his
Deaconess to conduct a marriage. This was several years before the Church of England finally ordained women as priests and attracted a significant amount of interest with crews from the BBC, Yorkshire Television and Spanish TV present.
Subsequently, Robin’s wife Sheila became one of the first group of Anglican women to be ordained.
He married Sheila in 1960 and had three children. John, who lives in New Zealand, Catherine and Richard.
From Ian Fletcher (1951-1959)