Gwilliam, John Albert
1923-2016

Born on 28 February 1923 at Pontypridd, he was educated at Monmouth School and Trinity College, Cambridge. During his war service he was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment before completing his degree in History. He taught at Glenalmond College, Perth and Bromsgrove School, then became Head of Lower School at Dulwich College, 1956-1963 and Headmaster of Birkenhead School, 1963-1988. As a headmaster, he was known as 'an austere, quietly spoken, deeply religious Methodist', and as 'a disciplinarian who insisted on good manners and appearance and sought to imbue his pupils with his own spiritual values'.

A keen Rugby player, he won 23 caps for Wales between 1947 and 1954, captained Wales to two Grand Slams and in 1953 played in the last Welsh team to beat the All Blacks, before retiring from Rugby in 1955.

He retired to Llanfairfechan in 1988, spent his closing years in a nursing home at Deganwy, and died on 23 December 2016. His funeral was in the English Wesleyan church at Llanfairfechan.

Sources
  • Daily Telegraph, 6 February 2017

Occupations

See also

Entry written by: EDG
Category: Person
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