Oliver Darlington (WG 1958) has died at age 86

Born 5th August 1939 – died 6th March 2026

Oliver was the eldest of five siblings. His parents were both botanists, his father being Director of the John Innes Horticultural Institution in Merton (South London). Oliver joined the Junior School in 1949 as a boarder, during his parent’s bitter separation. At first, he was miserable. But he settled well after his mother and his siblings moved to Highgate, where she had close family and where she had grown up. He was now a day boy.

From a young age, he was a keen scientist. And some of his scientific interests were hair-raising. Melting lead in a pan our tiny kitchen was one. But he was to pay a high price for his experimentation. He and a friend took to making home-made bombs, which they exploded on Hampstead Heath. This is unimaginable today, but at that time, it was not illegal. All the ingredients that he and his friend needed were available at home or were easily bought from the chemist. Terrifyingly, one of these exploded in his hand in his bedroom. He was rushed to hospital and there he stayed for many months, as he underwent surgery and the recovery of his hand function. He was treated by surgeons trained by the renowned Archie McIndoe, who pioneered skin grafting for wounded airmen in WW2. Children were not allowed to visit the hospital, so he saw none of his siblings and only a few adult visitors. The school provided material for his GCE’s. And it was school-work that saved him. He returned home a changed boy. No more dangerous exploits for him.

He began to flourish at school, excelling in the sciences, especially in Chemistry and Biology. He was a keen member of the RAF Corps and particularly enjoyed gliding. He left school in 1958 and went onto read Microbiology at Reading University, where he achieved a First Class degree. In Reading, he also met his first wife, Shirley Jones. He then moved to work for his PhD at Trinity College, Dublin, where he and Shirley married in 1963. They had two children, Jonathan and Miriam. Oliver separated from Shirley in 1975, but they remained friends. In 2000, he married Sue Fasquelle.

Oliver had joined the newly-opened Sussex University in 1965, as lecturer in Microbial Genetics at the School of Biological Sciences. Freed of the stuffiness of older universities, and in the heady 1960s, this was an exciting time to be trying something new. He remained there until his retirement in April 2002. Oliver was a much-loved teacher, known for his clarity, patience and enthusiasm. He later became sub-dean of BIOLS, responsible for student support, welfare and pastoral care. He showed kindness and commitment to both students and colleagues.

He loved walking the South Downs, and always vigorously defended the open spaces of Sussex. And he remained intellectually engaged all his life – talking about ancient Greek history while in the hospice where he spent his last weeks. Oliver had a wicked and subversive sense of humour – but always accompanied by a twinkle in his eye. It was fitting too, that he revered Tom Paine, a Lewes resident in the 18th century, and the renowned author of the Rights of Man.

Oliver is survived by Sue Fasquelle, Jonathan and Miriam, and by Shirley.