We were saddened to hear of the passing of Michael Flanagan, OH 1950-58, at the start of January 2024.  While at Hymers College, Michael was a keen rugby player and involved in the Combined Cadet Force (C.C.F), gaining the rank of Lance Corporal and qualifying for the Award of the Crossed Swords Badge.

In recent years he kept in touch with The Development Office, often commenting on our social media and conversations comparing the weather in Hull with that in Perth, Australia, where he now lived.

The below obituary has been kindly written by Michael's former classmate, Pat Conn (OH 1951-59):

Michael and I were in the same form for a while at Hymers College, and being alphabetically close, our lockers were close as well, so we chatted a lot. He was a tall chap for his age, and I was small, so when it came to rugby he was a great presence in the second row and in the lineout because he had comparably large hands. In those days, the ball was a soaked hunk of heavy wet leather, and he could span and carry it in one hand. That impressed the whippersnappers!

Michael, in the middle of the back row and Pat, front row, second from left

He was never particularly studious at Hymers, but he left early and joined the Army as a Royal Engineer.  It must have been here that he caught the bug for learning. I believe he served for around six years before he came out and eventually graduated with a PhD in Petrochemical Engineering. From then on, the world was his oyster and he traveled widely.

He and I had no contact while I was in the Army for 31 years, but then Michael made contact with me through my Mother who was still living in Hull. We met and chatted. It became clear that he was not a well chap at all, and he had come to see his Mother while he still could travel because he had settled in Perth in Australia and had been warned that his traveling days were limited. We had something in common again because I had lived in Australia, albeit in Canberra, for two and a half years. He made another trip to the UK when we met up and had lunch, he returned to Hymers for a conducted tour which impressed him hugely, and we swapped contact details.

2008-09 Hymerian

We stayed in touch over the years both by email and by telephone. Our birthdays were close, and we exchanged cards and greetings and always chatted at Christmas. By this time, Michael had moved from the outskirts of Perth to the City Centre as he became less mobile.

We always remembered and contacted each other on ANZAC Day on the 25th April and during our Remembrance Week. He always wanted a full description of the Hymers Remembrance Service. My wife and I returned to Australia for a holiday in March and April 2017, and we stopped off in Perth for a couple of days. Michael made contact and gave us a conducted tour of spots we wished to visit in Perth, but it was clear that he was suffering a lot in accompanying us as we tramped around in pretty hot temperatures.

We stayed in touch on our return to the UK. He remained pretty chipper in our telephone chats, but it became clear that his mobility was becoming a real issue. He was devoting more time to his passion for model railways. I seem to recall all those years ago, he had a layout in his loft (or his Dad did), and Michael and another Hymers chap, John Hollingsworth, used to chat about them for ages… I was uninterested! We last spoke on the 29th November 2023, the day before his 82nd birthday, and he messaged me in the week before Christmas. He sounded a bit down because his immobility had got to him. He died on the 2nd January 2024; another Old Hymerian with an interesting life well lived.

Pat Conn (OH 1951-1959)