D. C. Riddy
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D. C. Riddy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 September 1907 |
| Died | 20 November 1979 (aged 72) |
| Resting place | Bedford, England |
| Education | Bedford Modern School |
| Alma mater | St Catharine's College, Cambridge |
| Occupations | Linguist, educationalist |
| Spouse | Constance White (m.1933) |
Donald Charles Riddy CBE (10 September 1907 – 20 November 1979) was a British linguist and educationalist.[1] After the Second World War, he was the British Controller-General of the Education Branch, Control Commission for German - British Element, tasked with assisting the de-nazification of Germany through a process of re-education.[2][3][4][5] He was later co-ordinator of the Council of Europe Modern Languages Programme[6] and, for most of his career, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Modern Languages in Schools.[7][8] He was described as a man of ‘wide administrative experience and enormous energy, for whom material difficulties were a challenge which he met with enthusiasm’.[9]
Riddy was born in Bedford on 10 September 1907, the son of Arthur John Riddy, a baker and corn dealer, and his wife Alice Jane Riddy.[10] He was educated at Bedford Modern School,[7][11] where he was a member of the cricket team,[12] and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he played rugby in the First XV.[13]
Career
Riddy was an assistant master at Felsted School between 1930 and 1940.[14] In 1934, he was responsible for rugby and carried out a revision of the Forties; Second Forty became the Cromwell Club.[citation needed] He left Felsted School to become an inspector of schools.
Riddy was the British Controller-General of the Education Branch, Control Commission for German - British Element, after the Second World War.[3][4] One of his tasks was to counter twelve years of Nazi indoctrination through a process of re-education.[2][15] The aim was to eliminate Nazi and militaristic tendencies and to encourage the development of democratic ideas.[16] Notwithstanding the stringency of the aim, Riddy's method and approach was to stress the importance of showing the German people the "benevolent attitude of the occupying power and encouraging a belief in Germany's future".[17]
After his role in Germany, Riddy was made overall co-ordinator of the Council of Europe Modern Languages Programme[6][18] and, for most of his career, was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Modern Languages in Schools.[7] He was Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Essex between 1969 and 1970.[19]