Wilfred Flemming died on March 16^th 2005, completing his rich and wonderful life in it’s 95^th year.

Wilfred was born in Wigan, Lancashire, on May 18^th 1910, the first child of William & Anne. The family was poor and the focus was on education and hard work. He attended Wigan Grammer School, and won Open Engineering Entrance Scholarships at both Manchester and Liverpool Universities. He chose to read Mathematics at Liverpool for a career in Education. He gained a First Class Honours Degree and was an F. S. Carey Prizeman. He started his teaching career with a M.Sc and Diploma in Education. During the war years, he was co-opted to run an RAF Radar Laboratory for the instruction of airmen. Afterwards, he was appointed Head of Mathematics and Sixth Form Master in the Almondbury Grammar School, near Huddersfield.

In 1946, on the invitation of Principal Canon T. Halliwell, he joined the staff of Trinity College Carmarthen where he founded the Mathematics Department. He also worked with the Carmarthenshire Education Authority leading to an improvement in the standard of mathematics teaching in Primary Schools. Trinity College (now a University) recently made him an Honorary Fellow and dedicated a meeting room in his name.

In 1950, he was appointed to the staff of the School of Education in the University College of Leicester. He was also Chairman of the Mathematics Section of the Association of Teachers in Colleges and Departments of Education and he founded the Association of University Mathematics Education Teachers. He also served as Secretary to the Friends of the Leicestershire County School of Music for several years.

In 1962, he took the post of Professor of Education and Head of the Department in the University of Ghana at Legon. He also contributed to a writing group in Uganda preparing materials for use in African schools. He built the staff of the Department at Legon to full strength until political unrest and interference caused expatriate staff members to return home. Some months afterwards in February, 1966, President Kwame Nkrumah himself was deposed in a military coup.

After returning to the University of Leicester, he continued occasional overseas missions. For example, he served for one term as an UNWRA Educational Consultant to the Palestinian refugees, some still living in Israel, others in Jordan, Syria and the Lebanon where the Institute of Education was based. For another term, he was a member of a UNESCO Consulting team in Egypt advising and reporting on the running of universities. At the behest of the Ministry of Overseas Development, he took a team of British mathematicians to Egypt to run a six-week course for teachers of the subject. The Ministry also arranged in two successive years for him to visit the University of the West Indies as External Examiner to the teacher education courses being conducted in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. Other examining duties took him to the Witwatersrand University in S. Africa and again into Wales. On retirement in 1975, amongst other activities, he helped with the Schools Council Mathematics Applicable project, even after its completion in 1978.

An Anglican, he was a member of the Leicester Diocesan Board of Education for over twenty years and a Bishop’s Selector at ACCM conferences. He was for a time a member of the Candidates Committee which met at Church House, Westminster, to consider amongst other matters the cases of students needing special help during their training for the priesthood. Interested in religious education, he taught the subject at various levels in schools and, at university, prepared intending teachers for the work.

Wilfred married Olive in 1939. He lived with her for 58 years, caring for her in ways that set an example for us all during her long and final illness. At age 91 he married Rosemary Marlor, his dear friend of some 30 years, caring for her lovingly until his own final days. He is survived by Rosemary, sons Peter & David, grandchildren, Lissa, Anne, Emily, Cleo and William, and great-grandchild Olive. Neighbors, especially Betsy Leon next door will miss him dearly. Great grandson Langdon Coburn was born in April, 2009

Wilfred lived according to Christian principles and always used his great talents for selflessly helping others. He was unassuming and had a warm and deep humanity. He will be remembered with great affection as a loyal friend, as someone who made a positive and intelligent contribution to life and as a regular worshipper in the parish of Knighton.

Funeral services were held on April 13, 2005.