The Old Diocesan Issue 10 - Magazine - Page 16
Jack Frost (1918-1942)
As it did in World War I, Bishops made significant contributions – and sacrifices
– in World War II. In the air, John Frost, known as Jack, was the highest-scoring
pilot for the South African Air Force. Flying Hurricanes, he is believed to have
destroyed 33 enemy aircraft, 17 in the air and 16 on the ground, and was
awarded the DFC with Bar. Frost once shot down four Italian planes in seven
minutes, and later became “ace in a day”, shooting down five German planes
on 3 June 1942. He was killed in action not long afterwards, over Libya. He had
left Bishops in 1935, the same year as another fated air hero, Percy Burton.
Admiral Syfret (1889-1972)
Admiral Sir Edward Neville Syfret saw action in both World Wars.
He captained a battleship, commanded a cruiser squadron and
oversaw the invasion of Madagascar, but his finest hour came as
the commander of Operation Pedestal, a truly remarkable naval
expedition. This was the critical convoy to relieve Malta, which played
out dramatically over the course of a week in August 1942, as Allied
warships and merchantmen inched from Gibraltar to the strategically
important island a thousand miles away. Syfret was knighted for his
role, and was later made Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet.
John Joubert (1927-2019)
Undoubtedly the greatest composer to come
out of Bishops, John Joubert was one of the
world’s pre-eminent living composers from
the 1950s until his death, shortly before his
92nd birthday. He is probably most famous
for his 1951 Christmas carol Torches, which
has been sung by thousands of Bishops
boys and millions of others worldwide. He
composed more than 180 works, including
seven operas and three symphonies. In 2007,
his 80th birthday was marked by a “Joubertiad”,
a year-long series of events around Birmingham,
where he lived for more than 50 years.