Rev Canon Frederick Joseph John Shirley (1890–1967) was an Anglican priest, canon of Canterbury Cathedral and headmaster of The King’s School, Canterbury from 1935 to 1962.

A colourful and popular character, he referred to all the boys as “m’dear” and they to him simply as “Fred”.  Canon Shirley is credited with turning the fortunes of the near-bankrupt school around, and persuading Somerset Maugham, an old boy (who had savaged the school in his best-known novel “Of Human Bondage”) to become a benefactor.

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