David Pierce RIP
A memorial service is to be held at Truro Cathedral for a much-loved school teacher and sports coach, who inspired countless youngsters to play sport, not least one of Britain’s greatest Olympians Sir Ben Ainslie.
David Pierce, fondly known by his Treliske pupils as ‘King’, as he so advised - “ my name is Mr Pierce but you may call me ‘King’ - has died aged 95, having continued to coach cricket every Saturday morning into his 90’s, until COVID forced him to stop in 2020.
His extraordinary life is to be celebrated on Friday, February 7 (1 pm) when ex-military and school colleagues, former pupils and many involved in cricket, hockey and other sports, who had the joy of knowing him, will converge on Truro Cathedral.
He was born in 1929 in Norfolk after his Welsh-speaking family, with a farming and military background, had migrated there from North Wales. Like Horatio Nelson, who led the Royal Navy to victory at Trafalgar in 1805, Mr Pierce attended Norwich School.
He went on to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant and joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers, rising to the rank of Major.
He had the good fortune to meet and marry a Cornish girl who was also in the Army: hotelier’s daughter Jean Brewer, of Newquay. They married in 1953 and she later became a special needs teacher at Treliske School. She pre-deceased him 15 years ago. Their home was at Wheal Frances, Perranzabuloe.
Mr Pierce served with the British Army in Berlin (helping to guard Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison), Jamaica, Bermuda, Malaya, where, with the Gurkha Brigade, he engaged in jungle warfare against Communist insurgents, Singapore, Cyprus, Aden, Hong Kong and Northern Ireland.
His enthusiasm for sports saw him play rugby, cricket and hockey for his regiment. His services were also in demand as a boxer, ice skater, tennis and squash player.
After 25 years in the Army, he enrolled at St Luke’s College, Exeter, to train as a teacher. From 1975 to 1995, he taught science and sport at Treliske, an independent school for 7 to 11-year-olds, later to be re-named Truro Prep.
His talent for enthusing pupils from all walks of life, including those with difficulties, was legendary. One of the latter was a lad named Ben Ainslie. He was allergic to sunlight. Mr Pierce introduced him to the squash court and cross-country running through woodland. Ben grew in confidence. His keenness and flair for sailing soon became evident.
Ben, by then also a budding cricketer and hockey player, went on to Truro School before embarking on a stellar sailing career. This saw him win 4 gold medals at successive Olympics, and many world titles, leading Britain’s challenges in the America’s Cup as well as win it with the USA team and receive a knighthood. He never forgot “a chap called Mr Pierce.”
Years later he recounted:“ Mr Pierce taught me in prep school, from about 7 to 11 years old. He certainly was the one who inspired me to get into sports and fitness and all the rest of it.
“He was quite elderly, but he was incredibly fit for his age, which was quite an inspiration really because he was an older person, he was in good shape.
“He did a lot of running and used to take us on long-distance runs through the woods and so on. He was quite full-on but in a positive way and really encouraging and inspiring.
“Sports were a big part of the school that I went to and that was because of him - he drove that.
“I remember him very fondly and, for whatever reason, he seemed to show me a lot of support and help me get through school because the academic stuff didn’t come that naturally to me. I spent too much time being distracted. He helped me to get some focus and some determination.
“I still have contact with my school and have been back several times to talk to the kids. He doesn’t teach any more, but if Mr Pierce is still around, hopefully he can read this and take pride in it.”
Mr Pierce did indeed read it but had not rested on his laurels. He spotted a special cricket talent at Treliske named Laura Harper. He took the bold, ground-breaking step of selecting her for a Cornwall Under 12 Boys tour to South Africa, which he led. Laura went on to play 6 test matches and 25 one-day internationals for England.
During his sporting prime, David had captained St Newlyn East Cricket Club with characteristic vigour, as well as being a combative player for Truro Hockey Club, where he was a skilled and much-valued administrator.
A founder and driving force of Truro Junior Hockey, he was prominently involved in gaining National Lottery grant funding for the construction of an AstroTurf hockey pitch at Penair School - vital to the club’s future.
At home, he found the time and energy to create a beautiful imaginative garden, complete with battle trenches, a jungle with a tree house, a zoo enclosure, a maze and, of course, a cricket pitch for the entertainment of family and visitors.
A talented draughtsman and painter, he sketched everything from war scenes to Cornish landscapes. Crosswords were no match for his intellect. His cartoons were much enjoyed by friends, as was his wicked sense of humour.
His final years were spent in a care home at Perranporth. There he was to receive long-distance phone calls from a certain international yachtsman. Sir Ben Ainslie did not forget his Mr Pierce and stayed in contact with him until the finishing line.
Mr Pierce is survived by daughter Chrissie, an acclaimed cricket artist, son Michael in the USA, and grandsons Max and Oskar Kolk, who played first-class cricket while a student at Cardiff University and is currently in the Army.
