Academic Record:
Derek chose Pembroke College as it was the former college of his Headmaster (V. J. Dunstan) and Canon Code. Canon Code wrote a reference: “honest and having a satisfactory sense of right and wrong….I believe him to be possessed of an earnest purpose and a healthy allowance of ambition. His general intelligence is good.” The Headmaster wrote: “he is a great deal more satisfactory than he used to be….He is very pleasant to speak to and I really think he means very well but he has an unfortunate knack of failing at the last moment to carry out good resolutions.”
Derek enrolled on 4th June 1943. He studied an Arts course in Geography and Law.
Derek missed his Matriculation in May due to illness , so matriculated later, in June. He was awarded a second class pass in examinations in September 1943.
He attended a short course in Law at Cambridge University in November 1943, and he hoped to return after the war was over. He wrote to the College in November 1945 from the South East Asia Air Force and this was followed later by a letter from his mother stating he was stationed in the Cocos Island and again requesting a place for her son after his discharge. Sadly she wrote again, just a month later, to inform the College of her son’s death.
Cambridge University ran short academic courses for Armed Service cadets during the Second World War.
