(Anthony) John Cordingly – LaB 50-59

Submitted by Paul Reynolds

John Cordingly, as he was known, was born in December 1940, the second son of Rev Eric and Mary Cordingly. His elder brother David preceded him at Christ’s Hospital by two years. 

After school he studied medicine at the London Hospital. He became Consultant in Adult Psychiatry at Napsbury Hospital near St Alban’s, one of the late Victorian mental hospitals. He was also part of a team sent to examine patients in crisis situations in the community. After retiring from the NHS, he worked in the Drug and Alcohol unit at the Charter Nightingale Hospital in London.

After retirement, he started to play the cello and took a BA in Opera Studies at Rose Bruford College. He then combined his interests in psychiatry and music by writing a book in 2015 called “Disordered Heroes in Opera: A Psychiatric Report”, in which he was able to identify various disorders afflicting characters such as Otello, Peter Grimes and Eugene Onegin.  He sang in the Royal Choral Society for about 30 years. 

John Cordingly said in his later years: “Now I can be proud to acknowledge that I am a gay man”, something he had had to hide in younger days. He worked with Age UK Camden’s “Opening Doors” project, supporting older gay men and was a Trustee of Age UK Camden for some years.  

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2024 and died at home surrounded by his family on 19th January 2025.