Major, Royal Engineers
Born: September 11th 1892
Died: March 1st 1942
Age at Death: 49
Died at sea, near Singapore, March 1st 1942
House Prefect 1908
2nd 11 Football 1907-1909
1st 8 Fives 1909
Shooting 8 1908-1909
Rex was born on 11 September 1892 to Albert Nunn, an engineer, and his wife Frances, of Tenterden, Kent. At the College he excelled at shooting and was an enthusiastic rather than talented footballer – according to a match report in the school magazine, he was ‘painfully slow although he did try extremely hard’.
During the Great War Rex served in the Royal Marines Divisional Engineers, rising to the rank of major, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the last year of the war. After the war he built a flourishing career, rising to become Director of Public Works and Director of Civil Aviation in the British colony of Malaya, based in Singapore. He was very happily married to Gertrude Higgs, a celebrated choral and opera singer.
When the Japanese invaded Singapore, Rex organised the evacuation of many personnel from his department, and was among the last to leave the island. The first ship on which Rex and his wife embarked was sunk by Japanese bombers, but they both made it to Pom Pong Island, where they were rescued by the SS Rooseboom, as was fellow Old Brightonian John Acworth.
Unfortunately, this ship was torpedoed by the Japanese. The couple were below decks, but Rex saved his wife’s life by breaking through a porthole and lifting her through. Rex drowned, and Gertrude died eight days later on a lifeboat, starved of food and water, talking about her beloved husband to the end.