Chris Snuggs: "WHS had four quite exceptional Headmasters, and Dick Woollett was the last. I knew him as Asst. Housemaster of Halls during his first stay at the school. He was very kind, and often invited groups of boys to watch "The World at War", the great BBC series on WWI, in his flat on the first floor between Halls and Johnstons. He also did his best to help me when I applied for a place at Merton College, Oxford (he was a Fellow of All Souls), giving me both interview and other practical advice. Once we met up in London and watched "Far From The Madding Crowd" when it came out. I had studied Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge" for 'O' Level, and that film was stunning.
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Dick was always a class act, and I greatly admired him for taking on the formidable challenge of WHS during its last decade. He told me some years ago when we met on the occasion of one of our barge cruises that Taffy had greatly encouraged him to go for the Headship - which was nice. They had of course worked together in Halls in the early 60s. He now lives in retirement in Ipswich.
In 2018 I was invited to his 80th birthday party in Ipswich, organised by Barry Clark. A good number of OBs were there and their love for their old Head was obvious. Here are a few photos."
Christmas 2023: As a matter of historical interest, Dick told me in the early 2000s when we met that Taffy had given him great encouragement to go for the Headship when Patrick Richardson was killed. I didn't push the matter, so I do not know whether Taffy in fact alerted Dick to the opening, but I imagine Dick was pretty well clued up about what was going on in the school where he had taught frm 1962 to 1964."
Barry Clark - Hansons 58-65: “Yes, he kept a close eye on things there. Even when housemaster at Westminster School he had a lot of OW visitors. I lived not far away and also saw him frequently then, and kept in touch with goings on via the fencing network and HJR. I took fencing teams there most terms from the schools I was at - Stepney Green and Sir George Monoux (Walthamstow).”