Notable Old Abingdonians Including Former Masters
Main article: List of notable Old Abingdonians See also: Category:People educated at Abingdon School- Major General Sir Henry Tombs VC KCB (10 November 1825 – 2 August 1874). Won his VC 9th July, 1857 at the Siege of Delhi for "noble behaviour on the part of Lieutenant-Colonel Tombs in twice coming to his subaltern's rescue, and on each occasion killing his man".
- Conservative politician, member of parliament for Horsham, former Chairman of the Conservative Party and current Paymaster General Francis Maude attended the school in the 1960s.
- Mark Bretscher (born Cambridge, England, January 8, 1940) is a British biological scientist and Fellow of the Royal Society.
- The members of Radiohead attended Abingdon in the 1980s. Their song 'Bishop's Robes' reputedly refers to a former headmaster of Abingdon, Michael St John Parker, who was known for wearing academic gowns.
- David Mitchell, best known as one half of the comedy double act Mitchell and Webb, attended Abingdon School from 1987 to 1992 and was chairman of the school's debating society during his final year. On his appearance on Desert Island Discs he chose "Creep" by Radiohead and jokingly suggested that it should be the school song.
- Musician Thomas Dolby (then known as Thomas Robertson) was at Abingdon in 1975–76, completing his A levels while in attendance.
- Another notable Old Abingdonian was the Oxford cox, Nicholas Brodie, who went on to cox both the Isis boat and the Blues, leading Oxford to victory as the OUBC President in the 2008 Boat Race. It was the first time since the 1970s that a cox had been President of either club.
- Actors Toby Jones, best known for his award-winning role in Infamous and Tom Hollander, of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End fame, were in the same year at Abingdon in the early 1980s.
- Two members of the band Foals were former pupils.
- Rob Walker, a freelance snooker, rugby and olympics commentator.
- Musician Nigel Powell who plays drums for Frank Turner attended the school from 1985 to 1989.
- Robin Edwin Geoffrey Bourne-Taylor, CGC (born 22 July 1981 in George Town, Grand Cayman) is a former British officer and sportsman. He is a three times Boat Race winner, and for his service in Afghanistan he was awarded the second-highest British gallantry medal.
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Famous quotes containing the words notable, including and/or masters:
“Every notable advance in technique or organization has to be paid for, and in most cases the debit is more or less equivalent to the credit. Except of course when it’s more than equivalent, as it has been with universal education, for example, or wireless, or these damned aeroplanes. In which case, of course, your progress is a step backwards and downwards.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“And so the reliance on Property, including the reliance on governments which protect it, is the want of self-reliance.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Although the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to.”
—Bob Dylan [Robert Allen Zimmerman] (b. 1941)