It is with great sadness that we have been informed of the death of Michael Anthony Hewson (Sammy) on 26th April, shortly after reaching his 100th birthday.
May he rest in peace.
It is with great sadness that we have been informed of the death of Sir Hugh Rossi, a former pupil and Governor of the school.
He was MP for Hornsey/Hornsey and Wood Green 1966-92.
He died on 14th April 2020.
May he rest in peace.
Dear Fathers, Deacons and Colleagues,
With sadness I write with news of the death earlier today, 7 April, of Fr John O’Halloran. Fr John died peacefully at home, in Nazareth House, Finchley.
Fr John was born in London on 11 September 1924 and Ordained to the Priesthood for the Diocese of Westminster at St Joseph’s, Wealdstone by Bishop George Craven on 29 June 1957.
Sympathy is extended to Fr John’s family and friends, and to the Clergy and parishioners of his former parishes in the Diocese, to those who remember him from his years on the staff at Finchley High School, and to the Sisters and residents at Nazareth House.
Fr John was a member of the Deceased Clergy Association. Funeral arrangements will be made in accordance with the protocols necessary due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Details of a Memorial Requiem Mass, and an obituary, will follow in due course.
We pray for the repose of Fr John’s soul:
Lord Jesus, our Redeemer,
you willingly gave yourself up to death so that all people might be saved and pass from death into a new life.
Listen to our prayers, look with love on your people who mourn and pray for Fr John.
Lord Jesus, holy and compassionate, forgive his sins.
By dying you opened the gates of life for those who believe in you.
Do not let our brother be parted from you, but by your glorious power give him light, joy and peace in heaven where you live for ever and ever.
May the soul of this faithful Priest rest in peace. Amen.
With kind regards,
The Diocese of Westminster
The Albanian association is the focus for our alumni. They have their own clubhouse in Summers Lane, have several football teams who play in local leagues, organise an annual dinner at the school and an annual commemorative mass for deceased members.
If you would like your email address added to our alumni database please email info@finchleycatholic.org.uk.
Many of our alumni are generous in both their financial contributions to the school and in contributing to events such as careers days. Many are very successful in their various fields but below are some of our notable former pupils:
- Dom Aidan Bellenger, currently Abbot of Downside Abbey; former Head Master of Downside School
- Declan Danaher, rugby player, back row London Irish
- Tony Gallagher, former Editor of the Daily Telegraph
- Giuliano Grazioli, former striker for Swindon Town and Barnet
- John Griffin, co-founder of London-based minicabs company Addison Lee
- Martin Ivens, Editor, The Sunday Times
- Dennis Kelly, theatre and television writer
- Fr. John McDonald, former chaplain to the Catholic Stage Guild
- Damian McBride, former adviser to Prime Minister Gordon Brown; worked for a time as Business and Community Manager then for CAFOD
- Seán Milligan, son of Spike Milligan (famous comedian, who as co-founder of the Finchley Society, helped to get the main school building its Grade II listing)
- Paul Rincon, BBC News, broadcast journalist, specialist in science & technology
- James Shea, AFC Wimbledon goalkeeper
- Chas Smash, backing singer and dancer in British band Madness, also co-wrote one of their trademark hits, "Our House".
Finchley Grammar School
- Derek Edwin Berry FRICS ATII, Company Secretary of Racal Electronics Limited
(1969 - 1986), Founding Director of Vodafone Ltd, - Prof Christopher Bliss, Nuffield Professor of International Economics from 1992-2007 at the University of Oxford, and brother of Jill Paton Walsh
- James Bredin, former BBC news and documentary producer, Managing Director from
1964-82 of Border Television, and directed ITN's first broadcast in 1955 - Kevin Burns CMG, High Commissioner to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean States from 1986–90, and to Ghana (concurrently Ambassador to Togo) from 1983-86
- Air Vice-Marshal Robert Chapple CB, Principal Medical Officer of the RAF from 1991–94
- Tony Chanmugam, Finance Director of BT since 2008
- Sir Frank Claringbull, mineralogical crystallographer (who worked with Lawrence Bragg), Director of the Natural History Museum from 1968–76, President from 1965-7 of the Mineralogical Association, and President from 1972-90 of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain
- Terry Forrestal, stuntman extraordinaire; former soldier
- Sir John Hegarty, founder of global advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty
- Jerry Lordan, composer of hits "Apache" and "Wonderful Land" for The Shadows
- Prof David Luscombe, Professor of Medieval History from 1972-95 at the University of Sheffield
- Troy Kennedy Martin, screenwriter; co-creator of 1960s British TV hit series Z-Cars, scripted 1960s classic The Italian Job
- John Leslie Marshall, Conservative former MEP for London North and former mayor of Barnet London Borough Council
- Eric Merriman, radio comedy writer
- Lawrence Middleton CMG, Ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 1986–90
- Declan O'Farrell CBE, Chief Executive (1994–2003) of Metroline
- Prof Patrick O'Sullivan OBE, Haden-Pilkington Professor of Environmental Design and Engineering at UCL
- Nicholas J. Phillips, UK hologram pioneer
- Sir Hugh Rossi, Conservative MP for Hornsey, then Hornsey and Wood Green, 1966–92
- Prof Thomas Wiedemann, historian, former Professor of Latin from 1995-2001 at the University of Nottingham