The passing of Christopher J. Nickless on 1st December, after a long illness bravely fought, marked the end of an era. Chris represented the best of King’s, not unsurprisingly, for he dedicated his life to the School, man and boy, with only a brief sojourn in Birmingham to study Theology and West Bromwich Albion. A pupil here from 1955 to 1965 and Assistant Master from 1968 to 1991, he was the first Head of the Pre-Preparatory School as King’s expanded and during his ten years of distinguished service as Headmaster of the Preparatory School (1991-2001), he oversaw the admission of girls to the junior classes.
Urbane and always curious, Chris lived out the School’s Christian values and dedication to others. Fittingly two trophies named in his honour are awarded in the now Junior School, one dedicated to Conduct and the other to General Knowledge for a competition that he instigated in 1969. Chris would say that a young person could not go far wrong if they were of good conduct and blessed with a curiosity about the world around them.
A teacher of Divinity, History and, latterly Latin, Chris’ lessons were always memorable and few could tell a story as well as Mr Nickless, whether it was a reminiscence from his time as a tutor in St Margaret’s House or a Speech Day address on the silent watchers of Rochester Cathedral’s organ screen. A member of the Choir Schools’ Association, Chris was more at home in Rochester Cathedral than he was anywhere else save, perhaps, the Hawthorns. Here he married his beloved Mairi (née Garden), an assistant teacher at King’s School Rochester and fondly remembered as the Form Teacher of 1AG, and his quiet, unpretentious faith was nourished.
Many will recall Mr Nickless’ carefully crafted reports written in black ink with his distinguished left-hand script. This was the only left-leaning aspect of Chris, for although he was a long-serving local councillor, his politics were always of the Independent kind and his involvement spoke to the value he placed on public service.
After stepping down as Head, with a cheery, slightly presidential, wave from Mairi, Chris slipped into the shadows to sagely support the new incumbent, always with grace and humility. Such was the man.
Once he permanently hung up his gown and folded away his Baggies’ kit after refereeing his last five-aside football tournament in 2007, Chris shared a busy retirement with Mairi, that centred on gardening, ornithology, tours of the Scottish Isles, maintaining his own meticulously catalogued bedroom archive of King’s School Rochester, support for Kent County Cricket Club and, of course, the Albion. He continued to follow their few ups and many downs, and submitted an annual entry in the Nickless Prize, although I suspect he frowned at the questions on popular culture, whilst always too polite to say as such!
His love for King’s was undiminished and this is reciprocated by generations of Old Roffensians. Rest in peace, Chris.
Paul Medhurst
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