It’s with great sadness we must share with you the news that our former Chairman, David Peace (St Catharine’s 1966, Classics), died on 8 December 2021. He had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in July 2019.
David joined the Committee of the Cambridge Society of London in 1999, the largest of over 300 such alumni societies around the world, and became Chairman in 2010. He built it to provide over 20 social events every year. He remained Chair until May 2019 when he sensed that his health was about to take a turn for the worse.
As he described it, it had been an interesting and stimulating life: from working class home to world class universities, and onward to Africa, the Gulf, senior executive positions in global industries and more, operating in so many sectors – charities, oil & gas, foreign armed services, defence, security, civil engineering, career support, law, voluntary organisations and others.
David’s period of suffering from MND coincided with the COVID pandemic, social lockdowns and, for him, government-mandated shielding. In April 2020 he started a blog, to tell unusual stories and adventures from his varied life and to track the movement of the illness in the hope that it would help others. 
The blog developed a wide readership in the UK and around the world. As it described the way MND ravaged his body it also caught the attention of the British campaign charity Dignity in Dying which with David’s agreement described his situation to the media, resulting in widespread coverage.
The blog also revealed a number of things that he had never mentioned before, including his clandestine work for the British security services while in Libya and Saudi Arabia. Starting on 1 April 2020 it can be found at www.deardavid.co.uk
Two days after his diagnosis in 2019 David had joined Dignitas, the Swiss organisation that provides assisted dying in accordance with Switzerland’s view of human rights. In December 2021 he traveled there accompanied by his friend. On 8 December he syringed the liquid into his stomach. Within a few minutes he was asleep and a short while after that his heart stopped and he was pronounced dead. It was the quick, calm and peaceful death that he wanted.
The David Peace Fund continues to operate if anyone wishes to give. Alternatively, I set up the MND Art Challenge as a way to raise money and spread awareness of this cruel disease, you can participate by visiting clicking the image below. All donations will be recorded as part of the David Peace Fund.
Requiescat in pace.