David Hopkins (SH 1970-75) was invited by the History Department at King's to deliver a talk to pupils on Wednesday 19 November 2025. 

The talk focused on David’s recent publication about his father’s wartime experience in the Merchant Navy. Tony Hopkins left Pangbourne Nautical College in 1942 aged 17 and signed into the employ of Alfred Holt and Co., one of the largest British shipping companies. For the next five years, Tony served on seven different company vessels during the Second World War.

David took us through Tony’s time working on these vessels, using photographs, hand-written letters, and postcards to give a personal account of his experience. Despite challenging and often frightening conditions, Tony maintained a good sense of humour in his letters and documented his daily routines, which were fascinating to hear about.

"David has embellished his father's story with supporting historical detail and analysis, the result of many hours of meticulous research: how the convoy system worked, the history of the U-boat 506 which torpedoed MV Myrmidon, and why all British Liberty ships were prefixed by 'Sam' are but three examples. Many photographs and maps are included to complete an easy and highly informative read." 

- An extract from Ian MacEwen's review in the OKS Magazine, Spring 2025 

David said that it was Peter Henderson (Common Room 1969-) who first inspired him to explore family history during his A Level studies. He joked that Peter had warned him that “family history is addictive,” and revealed that this has been proven to be true – David is now researching and writing about other relatives. 

Towards the end of the talk, David explained that individuals often feel their lives are insignificant and not worth writing about. He disagreed, emphasising that history is also about ordinary people. He encouraged pupils to write about activities and events that might seem mundane, reminding them that “what might be routine today will be history in the future.” Writing diaries and letters is one way we can preserve our personal histories; without Tony’s letters, we might never have learnt about his remarkable story.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to David for coming back to King's and delivering this interesting and thought-provoking talk. We look forward to hearing about your next family research project! 

David's book, I suppose you think you are a man now, Hopkins!, is available from Waterstones.