Nares, Geoffrey Owen, 1917-1942

Nares, Geoffrey Owen, brother of David Owen Nares (qv); b. 10 June 1917; adm. Sept. 1930 (G); left Apr. 1934; an actor and stage designer; first appeared (under his father's management) in The Winning Post at the Globe Theatre Dec. 1934; 2nd Lieut. RASC Oct. 1940, transf. 12 Lancers Aug. 1941; d. on active service 20 Aug. 1942.

Geoffrey Owen Nares was born at Hampstead, London on the 10th of June 1917 the younger son of Owen Ramsey Nares, an actor, and Marie (nee Polini) Nares, an actress, of 35, Hamilton Terrace, Westminster and of Highmoor in Oxfordshire. He was christened at St Augustine’s Church, Paddington on the 17th of November 1917. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Grant’s from September 1930 to April 1934. He won a Sir Henry Lucy Prize for Art in 1931. On leaving school he became an actor and a theatre designer, his first appearance being in the part of a stable boy in “The Winning Post”, starring Lawrence Olivier at the Adelphi Theatre on the 17th of December 1934. In June 1935 he played Kim Oldham in “Grief Goes Over” at the Globe Theatre and he played Martin Hilton in “Call it a Day” at the Glove Theatre, London in October of the same year which ran for more than a year; his father was also a member of the cast. As well as being an actor he was a designer of scenery for the stage and designed sets for “Candida”, “The Constant Wife”, ”Gaily We Set Out”, and “Blondie White”.
He enlisted as a Driver in the Royal Army Service Corps before being attending an Officer Producing School and being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on the 26th of October 1940. He transferred to the 12th Royal Lancers in August 1941 and was posted to the Middle East where he contracted pappataci (sand fly fever) and died from a brain tumour in hospital at Cairo.
He is buried at Heliopolis War Cemetery Plot 2 Row D grave 14

Nash, Alexander Desmond Michael Flight Lieutenant 102131
258 Squadron, Royal Air Force
Killed in action on the 19th of December 1943 aged 21
Alexander Desmond Michael Nash was born on the 22nd of November 1922 the son of Captain Christopher Michael Nash, a rubber planter, and Ethelinda Jarman (nee Clarke) Nash of 17, Mount Avenue, Ealing in Middlesex. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1936 to July 1939.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as a pilot and rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftman before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 23rd of July 1941. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 23rd of July 1942 and to Flight Lieutenant on the 23rd of July 1943. He was posted to 285 Squadron.
Alexander Nash took off at 2.45pm on the 19th of December 1943 in Hurricane Mk IIB BG688 with five other aircraft from his Squadron for a patrol over Dohazari. As they were climbing out after takeoff his aircraft collided with Hurricane Mk IIB PJ785 flown by Pilot Officer Peter Ireland Hickes. Both aircraft crashed and both pilots were killed. The remaining four aircraft completed their mission and returned to base at 4.20pm.
He is buried at Chittagong War Cemetery Plot 6, Row A, Grave 12.

Lieutenant 155098; 12th Royal Lancers, Royal Armoured Corps

International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition

Prepared for import into AtoM by Westminster School Archive staff, 2019-2020. Updated by Bethany Duck, Archives Assistant, September 2022.

The Record of Old Westminsters: A biographical list of all those who are known to have been educated at Westminster School from Play 1919 to Election 1989, Volume 4, compiled by F.E. Pagan and H.E. Pagan, Padstow, 1992.

Westminster School Second World War Memorial by John C. Hamblin, 2022.