Christopher Hitchens

It is with sorrow that we note the passing of Christopher Hitchens, an old boy of the school, a prominent and controversial writer and polemicist. Christopher attended Mount House in the late 1950s and early 60s where he benefited from a sound and traditional education.

 

Always courting controversy, Christopher Hitchens wrote without fear or favour on religion, international politics and personalities. A keen mind with a strong intellectual foundation in the left of politics, he had the vision and determination to espouse causes that were unpopular with his peers but which firmly established the integrity of his views.

 

Christopher Hitchens died at the age of 62 after living life to the full. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

If you would like to add share your recollections of him, please send an email and we will add it to the website

 

Memories of Christopher Hitchens

 

Charles Pugh 1958-62

We had some very slight parallels in that we both came from naval families, and we both went on to much disliked public schools, to University, and then – in my case to a career as a University lecturer, in his as a journalist and all round gilded youth. Perhaps we shared some political ideas which were fashionable at that time, but he made an illustrious career out of his – and I became a farmer, returning to live in the home I so much missed at boarding school!

 

We never met after we departed Mount House – but I have strong memories of him in the dormitory of which I was 'in charge' – other names I remember were Parker, Hayes, Watt – and probably from above him Cranfield and Osborne and Aston were friends of mine, among many others in my cohort.

 

If there are any words to illustrate what are only dim memories of Christopher as a boy I suppose that good looking, intelligent, and serious would cover it.

 

 

Jon Elworthy 1975 -77

I am very sad to hear of the death of one of the more famous old Mount House pupils. It is especially sad because I agreed with almost all he had to say and the way he said it. Although politically I lean to his brother's side, on religion I was always right there with Christopher. As he once said on seeing his premature obituary, "Nothing concentrates the mind more than reading about oneself in the past tense", so how sad it is that he is not still here reading the glowing (and not so glowing) words many are writing about him now. Thank you Christopher.