Old Guildfordians

Notable Alumni

At The RGS Qatar we are proud of our former pupils, known as ‘Old Guildfordians’, which include a number of Olympic and sporting personalities, a former Prime Minister and many notable names from the world of industry, politics and the arts. By joining The RGS Qatar, your child will automatically become a member of our elite Old Guildfordian alumni.

Religion

 

George Abbot Archbishop of Canterbury from 1611-1633
Robert Abbot Bishop of Salisbury from 1615-1617
Henry Cotton Bishop of Salisbury from 1598-1615, godson to Elizabeth I
William Cotton Bishop of Exeter from 1598-1621
Robert Horne Bishop of Winchester from 1560-1580

Military

 

Sir John Allison, KCB, CBE Air Chief Marshal, Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State (b. 1943)
Sir William Thomas Furse Lieutenant General, Master-General of the Ordnance from 1916-1919 (d. 1953)
Lord Mark Robert Kerr Vice-Admiral of Royal Navy, son of Fifth Marquis of Lothian (d. 1840)
Sir Thomas Byam Martin Admiral of the Fleet in 1849, awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (d. 1854)
Major General Andrew Salmon Commandant General Royal Marines until 2010 (b. 1959)

Politics

 

Sir George Grey 11th Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1877 (d. 1898)
Arthur Onslow Speaker of the House of Commons from 1728-1761, Treasurer of the Navy in 1734 (d. 1768)
James Purnell Former Labour MP and member of the Cabinet until 2009, now BBC’s Director of Strategy and Digital since 2013 (b. 1970)
John Rickman English Government official and creator of the Census (d. 1840)

Academia

 

Professor Andrew Hamilton President of New York University, formerly Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University
Professor Peter Haynes Professor of Applied Mathematics, Head of Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge since 2005

Sport

 

Arthur E. Knight Olympic Gold Medallist in 1912 and Captain of England Football Team v Ireland in 1919. Earned 30 amateur international caps (d. 1956)
Evelyn H Lintott England Football International in 1908, earning 7 caps (d. 1916)
Bob Willis England Cricket Captain, took 325 test wickets and 899 wickets in all first-class matches, Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1978, Sky Sports Commentator (b. 1949)
Jeremy Spencer England Rugby International, test debut as scrum-half in 1966 v. Wales (b. 1939)

Administration

 

Daniel W. Stable Director of the Prudential Assurance Company (d. 1929)
Adventure
Dr Ed Coats Antarctic explorer who raced to South Pole with James Cracknell and Ben Fogle in 2009, Doctor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (b. 1980)
Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen Natural Historian, one of the greatest early Himalayan explorers who discovered K2

Arts

 

Simon Bird Actor, writer, comedian. Played Will McKenzie from BAFTA-winning sitcom, The Inbetweeners (b. 1984)
Jean-Jacques Burnel Musician, producer, song writer and bass guitarist with British rock band, The Stranglers (b. 1952)
David Flood Master of Cathedral Choristers and Organist of Canterbury Cathedral since 1988
Andrew Haveron Violinist and Joint Concert Master of Philharmonia Orchestra since 2012. Plays on a violin made in 1709, by Carlo Tononi (b. 1975)
Terry Jones Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor and film director. Star of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and the film, Life of Brian (b. 1942)
John Russell English painter renowned for his portrait work in oils and pastels. Member of the Royal Academy (d. 1806)

Media

 

Simon Lazenby Sky Sports Presenter since 1998
Martin Tyler English Football Commentator, voted FA Premier League Commentator of the Decade (b. 1945)