Part 2 (Obituaries) - King's College - University of Cambridge

90
OBITUARIES
1976 to 1987, he was the editor of Teaching History, the professional journal of
the Historical Association, and subsequently co-edited Hindsight, a resource
magazine for GCSE History pupils. He also found time to co-edit the King’s
Register of 1989 and to write a secondary level textbook Our World Today –
Political, which was published in 1977.
Martin travelled the world as an educationalist, giving lectures in Japan,
Australia, and the USA. He also visited South Africa and chose to give his
seminars to trainee teachers in Soweto, the township that above all others
represented the deprivation of freedom under which the black population of
South Africa suffered during the apartheid regime. It was a natural place for
someone who believed that the purpose of education was so that “no one
should be powerless”. This strong sense of social justice found a place in his
extra-curricular activities too. With his wife Meg, Martin was an active
member of Amnesty International, and he canvassed for the Labour Party at
various times.The Church of England was another important strand in his life;
he and Meg were very active supporters of Jim Thompson’s pioneering
Ecumenical Team Ministry at Thamesmead in the 1970s. On moving to
Cambridge, they transferred their allegiance to St James’ Church, Wulfstan
Way, where Martin brought his musical gifts to the choir. He helped to run
the youth group; his enthusiasm, jolliness and sense of fun, coupled with his
brilliant communication skills, made him irresistible to the youngsters of
the parish.
Martin was Meg’s devoted carer in her long final illness; she predeceased him
in 2000. He died on 1 August 2004, survived by their two daughters Emma
and Caroline.
GILES BORRETT (1922), cousin of W J Corbett (1885), was born on 17
January 1901 in London. He was educated at Osborne and Dartmouth and in
1917 he joined the Royal Navy. He came to King’s as a naval officer on a
special course. In 1931 Giles retired from the Navy having achieved the rank
of Lieutenant-Commander. In 1936 he joined the BBC but returned to the
Navy in 1939 with the outbreak of war. He married Eileen Magee in February