Anthony Whitehead, my dear friend, passed away at the age of 88. He was an exceptional classics teacher who taught at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school in Manchester’s Middleton district for many years. What set Anthony apart was his unusual combination of intelligence, common sense, and good humour.
Anthony was an expert on the Greek and Roman worlds, and he led many expeditions to explore them with his students. After retiring, he continued to visit the Didsbury library each week, where he translated Greek and Latin texts, in addition to learning modern Greek and Italian, taking the highest level examinations for translators. He and his wife, Betty, travelled extensively, recording their experiences in notebooks and on camera.
I met Anthony in 1935, on our first day at William Hulme’s grammar school in Manchester. Both of us were placed in form 1C, to Anthony’s mother’s consternation. However, we soon found out that students were assigned to the first year’s three classes based on the alphabet. Anthony, a scholarship recipient from the nearby Denton neighbourhood, displayed his academic prowess quickly. Our homework assignment was to compose twelve similes and twelve metaphors in complete sentences. I was proud of my work, which included 24 well-written sentences, but Anthony’s was a magnificent poem that delighted our English teacher.
Anthony will be remembered by numerous individuals from his days at William Hulme’s, his service in the RAF during the latter part of WWII, his time at Manchester University, Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school, and the Classical Association because of his friendly personality.
He was passionate about music and enjoyed playing the piano while being involved in choral societies. Even in his later years, he participated in refereeing and playing hockey every week.
Betty, his wife, was the anchor that kept Anthony grounded throughout his life.
