John Francis Ling (OW 1945) sadly passed away on 13 February 2023, aged 95.

John grew up as an only child in Wolverhampton, attended Wolverhampton Grammar School between 1936 and 1945, eventually becoming Head Boy. He won a scholarship to St John’s College, Oxford where he read Greats – Latin, Greek, Ancient History and Philosophy. However, National Service intervened, and he spent two years as a fitter in the RAF. It was during his time in the RAF that he actually flew in a Lancaster Bomber. John began his degree course in 1948, described by his tutors as ‘a modest, pleasant, sensible man,’ whose work showed ‘great vigour, care and a real interest in the classics.’

The late Warren Derry, Headmaster at WGS wrote ‘his interests are not narrow’. His first great passion was chess, playing chess for Oxford while an undergraduate; he was for many years chess problem editor for The Observer and then ‘The Problemist’.  He continued to be involved in editing chess problem magazines for the whole of his life, latterly his own publication, ‘Problem Observer’. His other interests included steam railways, music, reading, wildlife, motor-caravanning and of course football, supporting Wolverhampton Wanderers all his life.

John became a schoolmaster, first at Stourbridge Grammar School, then Llandovery College in 1960, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Mansfield in 1966, finally moving to Loughborough Grammar School in 1979; he wrote that Loughborough was the happiest school he had been in, only finally retiring at seventy.

John married in August 1955 and is survived by three children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who he called his ‘Littlies’.