Tony Abrahams, then a young Jewish officer, led a force of Muslims to liberate an Orthodox Church holy site
My father, Tony Abrahams, who has died aged 87, dedicated his life to education. He founded four language schools; helped to create Seaspeak, the international language of the sea; was chairman of governors at Stepney Green comprehensive school in east London; and served as chairman of the Harpur Trust, which runs several schools in Bedford.
After graduating from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Tony was called to the bar, but in the 1960s gave up the law. He recognised that there was a huge and growing demand around the globe for the English language, but that there was no proper training, career structure or support system for teachers of English as a foreign language. In response, he founded an organisation now known as the CfBT Education Trust, which is currently one of the top 30 UK charities by revenue.
Over the decades, CfBT has employed more than 10,000 teachers. It offered scholarships to enable them to take further degrees in applied linguistics or educational management; set up a distance-learning MA in linguistics; and, with Birmingham University, created a BPhil (Ed) in teaching English as a foreign language.
Education had been fundamental to the integration of Tony's family into British society. His grandfather had moved to the UK from eastern Europe and never learned to read or write English, but four of his six children went to Cambridge University, two were knighted and one was a privy counsellor.
Born in Zanzibar, Tony served with the Indian army during the second world war, and in the SAS during the late 1940s. In 1945, as a young Jewish officer, he led a taskforce of Muslim Pathans to liberate Mount Athos, one of the most holy sites in the Orthodox Church. It was an adventure of which he was very proud, and an account was published recently by the Friends of Mount Athos.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; by three children – Anthony, Viveca and myself – from his previous marriage; and by five grandchildren.
After graduating from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Tony was called to the bar, but in the 1960s gave up the law. He recognised that there was a huge and growing demand around the globe for the English language, but that there was no proper training, career structure or support system for teachers of English as a foreign language. In response, he founded an organisation now known as the CfBT Education Trust, which is currently one of the top 30 UK charities by revenue.
Over the decades, CfBT has employed more than 10,000 teachers. It offered scholarships to enable them to take further degrees in applied linguistics or educational management; set up a distance-learning MA in linguistics; and, with Birmingham University, created a BPhil (Ed) in teaching English as a foreign language.
Education had been fundamental to the integration of Tony's family into British society. His grandfather had moved to the UK from eastern Europe and never learned to read or write English, but four of his six children went to Cambridge University, two were knighted and one was a privy counsellor.
Born in Zanzibar, Tony served with the Indian army during the second world war, and in the SAS during the late 1940s. In 1945, as a young Jewish officer, he led a taskforce of Muslim Pathans to liberate Mount Athos, one of the most holy sites in the Orthodox Church. It was an adventure of which he was very proud, and an account was published recently by the Friends of Mount Athos.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; by three children – Anthony, Viveca and myself – from his previous marriage; and by five grandchildren.
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