A TEACHER from Witney with a passion for education has died at the age of 99.

 

Benjamin Baughan, of Corn Street, worked for many years as the the head of craft and then the deputy headteacher of Wood Green School, and also self-published several collections of poetry and prose.

 

He also had a lucky escape during the Second World War when the ship he was serving in was sunk, taking the lives of nearly 200 men.

 

However, Mr Baughan was not on the vessel as he was taken ill on the previous voyage so was recuperating.

 

Benjamin George Baughan was born in Ashton Keynes, in Wiltshire, on June 13, 1917, to parents George and Olive.

 

Both his grandfather and father were farmers, so much of Mr Baughan’s early life was spent on a farm.

 

After the family’s best horses were taken away during the First World War, Mr Baughan’s father became ill and they moved several times: to Little Compton, in Gloucestershire, Old Minster Lovell, and eventually Witney, where his parents built a home in Corn Street and set up a successful market garden.

 

After leaving school, Mr Baughan attended the School of Technology, Art and Commerce, now Oxford Brookes, in Oxford, initially studying architecture before making the transition to teaching.

 

He gained his teaching qualifications and started his career, but was called up for service in the Second World War at the age of 23.

 

Mr Baughan joined the navy and was trained as a coder. He served on HMS Egret and spent two years escorting convoys in the Atlantic Ocean.

 

During one visit to Freetown, he became seriously ill with a fever and collapsed. As a result, was transferred to a hospital ship and taken to Derry and then Portsmouth for rest and recuperation.

 

It was while in Portsmouth he discovered that, on her next voyage, the HMS Egret had fallen victim to an air-to-sea guided missile and had sunk with the loss of 198 men. Only 30 survived.

 

He continued his service in the military, which included drawing on his teaching background to become an instructor in RADAR and designing aerials to aid the landing of planes onto aircraft carriers.

 

After the war, Mr Baughan returned to Witney and the profession of teaching. He was appointed to run the ‘Craft Centre’ in Witney, which served two secondary schools, and when Wood Green School opened in 1953 he became the head of craft.

 

He accepted the post of county advisor for crafts and chairman of the Southern Region Examinations Board for crafts.

 

But he missed teaching and returned to Wood Green School, where he continued to serve as the deputy headmaster for many years .

 

He met his wife, Iris, who was also a teacher, in 1947. The couple were engaged on the steps of York Minster in 1949 and wed the following July in St Mary's Church. They moved to Corn Street spending many years restoring a house which was to become the family home for more than 60 years.

 

Mrs Baughan died last December at the age of 90. She was known for her teaching roles at Minster Lovell Primary School and Hailey Road School, as well as resurrecting a Girlguiding company in the Witney

 

Mr Baughan retired at the age of 60 and enjoyed spending time fly fishing, gardening and bowling with his wife and also found time for making violins and sculptures, sketching and writing. He continued to write poetry and prose throughout his life, ranging from the humorous to the serious, drawing on his own life experiences.

 

He is survived by his two daughters and five grandchildren.

 

A memorial service will be held at St Mary’s Church, Witney on Monday, March 20, at 2.30pm.