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| 1 Dec 2025 | |
| Alumni News |
We were delighted to welcome the three daughters of Francis Bodger, a former pupil who attended Freemen's between 1941-1945. Francis was an only child and his father sadly died when he was 14 years old. Francis' father had been a member of The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers and as such, Francis was eligible for a free education at Freemen's. From his family home in West Wickham, Francis joined Freemen's as a boarding pupil in June 1941.
Francis went on to study Chemistry at a London university before leaving prematurely and beginning his career in the NHS, where he worked until his retirement. He married Hilary, a musician, whom he met through church, and they went on to have four children, Jennifer, Joy, Julian and Jan.
By his children's account, Francis did not enjoy the boarding element of his time at Freemen's, but he was nevertheless very thankful for the opportunity afforded to him and extremely passionate about the City.
Francis passed away at the age of 93 in 2020, and sadly Hilary died very suddenly in January 2025.
Their children discovered that they had left £10,000 in their will to the City of London Freemen's School Bursary Fund - a hugely generous gift which will make a substantial difference to the School’s effort to widen access and enable children from a range of backgrounds to benefit from the educational opportunities that Freemen’s offers.
Jenny, Joy and Jan visited Freemen's earlier this week to donate a couple of Freemen's items which Francis had kept over the years. Francis' old school blazer and a Carptenters' bronze medal prize which he had been awarded at Prize Day in 1943, are welcome and treasured additions to the School archives.
Headmaster, Roland Martin, commented:
“We are immensely grateful to the Bodger Family for their kind donation. Francis exemplified the spirit and values of the Freemen's community, and his gift will make a lasting difference to the lives of young people. It was a pleasure to meet Francis' daughters and I thank them for taking the time to visit the School and share their father's memories and mementos with us."
