Tony Trigg

Tony Trigg arrived at the University of Birmingham in October 1942 to study Mechanical Engineering. Due to the Second World War, he followed a compressed degree course that included additional duties such as compulsory parades and twice-weekly training with the Army Senior Training Corps, as well as fire-watching in case bombs would land on the University.

Despite these demands, Tony still managed a social life and met a Birmingham girl, Freda Evans, at a Saturday dance in 1944. His son, Alastair, shared an excerpt from Tony’s family history, recalling that night:

“Just before our final exams in 1944 I went to the usual Saturday Hop on 3rd June, in the Students' Union and, as the interval came I saw a very attractive young lady who had returned to the Hall to retrieve her handbag as I was leaving on my own to descend to the bar. I asked her if she would like a drink and together we joined some of my other colleagues in the bar. She agreed; her name was Freda Evans and she also agreed, later in the bar, to a date for a theatre visit; that incident changed my life."

It was still wartime when Tony graduated so he had little choice in his employment; the government allocated him to the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP), and he was sent for an interview in London in January 1945. He joined Rolls Royce in Derby, initially working on the famous Merlin engine that powered Spitfires and Lancaster bombers. He remained with Rolls Royce in various roles until the late 1950s, later moving to Weston-super-Mare. Before retiring in 1987, he supervised sea trials of mine-sweeping equipment.

Tony was the first of his family to go to university, an experience he felt was an enormous privilege that set the course for the rest of his life.

“Life was so different from home in Burton and, looking back, I was probably not prepared for the change…I don't think anyone from either family had ever been to or near to a University in their lives; it was alien to their natures. It has to be remembered that in those days only about 3% of school leavers went on to University.”

Tony remained involved with the University throughout his life. After retiring, Tony returned to Derby where he became more involved with the university’s Guild of Graduates and the Chancellors Hall Association, becoming president of the former in the late 1980s. He always felt that one of the prime purposes of the Guild and later the Alumni Association should be to help undergraduates reach their full potential.

Tony’s legacy gift to the University has been used to support our flagship outreach initiative, Pathways to Birmingham (P2B). The programme helps students from underrepresented backgrounds access a university education. In September 2024, one in ten first-year undergraduates began their journey at Birmingham through P2B. Without philanthropic support like Tony’s, we wouldn’t have been able to grow the scheme in this way and provide students with the financial support they require.