Douglas Guest

The ashes of Dr Douglas Guest are buried in the west cloister of Westminster Abbey. His wife Peggie is buried with him. The stone is between that of Sir William McKie, his predecessor, and Osborne Peasgood. The inscription reads:

+ Douglas Guest C.V.O. 1916-1996 Organist and Master of the Choristers 1963-1981 & Peggie his wife

He was born on 9th May 1916 a son of Harold Guest and was educated at Reading school and the Royal College of Music and was an organ scholar at King's College, Cambridge. During the war he was in the Hon. Artillery Company and was wounded twice and mentioned in despatches. In 1941 he married Peggie Falconer (1918-2009) and they had two daughters, Susan who married Martin Garrett-Cox, and Penelope, who married Simon de Lange, both in the Abbey. After the war he played an important part in the revival of cathedral choirs and was director of music at Uppingham school, before going on to be Organist and Master of the Choristers at Salisbury and later Worcester. He was involved in the Three Choirs Festival and the National Youth Orchestra.

At the Abbey he planned the music for Princess Anne's wedding and the funeral of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and many other occasions. His setting of Binyon's "For the Fallen" is well known. He retired in 1981 and died on 18th November 1996.