Richard (C1 1957-61), a lifelong and much valued friend for 67 years – from our shared years and experiences at Marlborough, on through our working and family lives, and latterly retirement – died on August 25th 2024.

Arriving in C1 with a naval scholarship to BRNC Dartmouth under his belt, he was destined for a career as a Naval Officer.

However, those Marlborough years (austere as they were in the late 1950s!) led to a change of mind which he was sure would better suit his talents and ambitions.

So, by the time he left school, he had decided that Publishing was to be his chosen path.

Testimony to the wisdom of that decision has been his long, varied and very successful career in Publishing which has spanned over 55 years.

Starting in London in 1961, he progressed rapidly from Trainee at Harraps Books to Manager of the Book Division at Conde Nast Publications. Among other books published during his tenure was the iconic David Bailey’s ‘Goodbye Baby and Amen – a saraband for the 60s’ – a unique and stylish photographic essay of the Swinging Sixties.

On reaching 27, he moved on to be Publicity Director of Publishing House, Michael Joseph. There he was responsible for developing launch and promotional campaigns for books from authors including James Baldwin, H.E. Bates, Dick Francis, John Masters, Leslie Thomas, Harold Wilson and the inimitable Spike Milligan.

Richard’s anecdotes of his ‘planning lunches’ in Soho Restaurants with Spike Milligan were truly the stuff of Spike’s legendary practical jokes and wild hilarity!

Nevertheless, the outcome of these somewhat unorthodox sessions was that for his work on the promotion of Spike Milligan’s autobiography, Richard was awarded ‘The Publishing Circle’s Silver Trophy’.

Richard was blessed in possessing that very valuable but rare combination of a highly creative mind coupled with very sound management and entrepreneurial skills.

Thus, by 1974, he realised that the time had come to branch out and start his own business. Returning to Devon, he co-founded with Delian Bower their own Publishing Company – Webb & Bower in Exeter.

Between 1976 and 1992, they published some 350 titles, including 24 National Bestsellers and 1 International Bestseller.

Without doubt the most notable was ‘The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady’ which went on to sell over 3 million copes in 13 languages.

It even achieved a place in The Guinness Book of Records for the longest running No.1 Bestseller.

In 1974 Richard returned to Dartmouth (hometown of his parents) for semi-retirement, but in reality this turned out to be the start of his second career – in local publishing.

Over the next 13 years, he published over a dozen books about the town of Dartmouth, its Naval College, its food and its history.

In 2017 aged 73, he finally retired.

In 1992, he married Gilly Blane Jenkins who survives him.