Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

A while since I posted on here, but I was trawling through some archives for a particular bit of info, when my memory was jogged about Neill the Notorious. He seemed to go missing a couple of years ago and no-one could turn up any information about him. Out of interest I just googled his full name (Neill Purdie Evans) and found the following:

EVANS NEILL PURDIE (Captain) Died after a short illness on 24th November 2014 in the Coronary Care Unit at Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Missed already by Anne, sons Rupert and Marcus and all the family. Funeral service to be held at Poole Crematorium on Thursday 4th December at 12 noon. No dark clothing please. Family flowers only. Donations if desired for Diabetes UK may be sent to Douch & Small F.D., 7 Leigh Road, Wimborne BH21 1AB. Tel: 01202 882936. Donate online at funeraldirector.co.uk/neill-evans.

It all fits - his wife was Anne, and he was diabetic and supported Diabetes UK. I can't remember whether he lived in Bournemouth/Poole. But I think it must be him. I'll put a mention in the next Old Blue - if anyone feels they knew him well enough to write a full obituary I'd be grateful to hear from them.

Thoroughly well spotted, Jo. Hopefully they'll put up a statue to him in Bournemouth and/or Poole. Or failing that, a scarecrow. Certainly this forum won't be quite the same without him.

But was he ever actually notorious? If so, for doing what? Did anyone ever find out? Or was he just notorious for being an easygoing, inoffensive, genial gent?

God rest his bones, whatever the case.

Thanks for telling us Jo, he seemed to be one of nature's gentlemen, a credit to his old school!

Thanks from me too, Jo. And hear, hear to Katharine.

Spoonbill: he seems to have called himself 'notorious'. I don't know if anyone else did.

A lot of people connected to CH seem to have died in the last year. RIP Neill.
I'm going to get philosophical on this first day of the year. We are but a drop in the ocean. Some just make a bigger splash.

Sorry to read this.

I am pretty sure it is "our" Neill sadly.

I enjoyed his often amusing contributions to the forum (a cyber boxing match with Huntertitus comes to mind) and, as said by others, he seems to have been a credit to the School rising to the rank of Captain despite, by his own admission, not being the most naturally gifted academically.

RIP

Sad news Neill lived in Broadstone