Donald Perrens Memorial

A Memorial Service for Donald Perrens DSO OBE DFC is to be held on Wednesday 13 October at 3:00pm in the Eastbourne College Chapel, followed by a reception in the Birley Centre between 4:00 and 5:00pm

Donald Perrens was a long-serving member of staff at Eastbourne College as a teacher of physics from 1946 to 1981. He became Head of Science in 1950, House Tutor in Gonville 1949-55, Housemaster of Blackwater 1960-72, acting Headmaster 1972-73 and Second Master 1973-75.

He also coached tennis and hockey and ran the RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) from 1954 to 1973, when he took over command of the CCF. He had originally been appointed to the College staff in 1939 but the war intervened before he could start. During the war he served as a Spitfire pilot with 208 Squadron, flying many low-level reconnaissance sorties over Italy and North Africa, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He died, aged 101, on 10 April 2020.

The Donald Perrens Foyer was named in his honour when the Birley Centre opened in 2011, and the reception will be held there, during which will be an unveiling of a memorial to Donald.

Please let us know if you would like to attend by replying to:

jt@eastbourne-college.co.uk

Please give your name and the names of any others in your group. If you have any particular memories of Donald, then please add them too.