Reading terror attack: Tributes paid to ‘deeply loved’ history teacher as second victim named

Pupils say they treasure James Furlong’s “nurturing spirit” and “unfaltering kindness”

Former pupils of a “deeply loved and valued” teacher who died in Saturday’s terror attack in Reading have paid tribute to him.

James Furlong, 36, taught at The Holt School in Wokingham, where he was head of history, government and politics.

He was one of three people stabbed to death on Saturday evening in a park in the centre of Reading. Khairi Saadallah, a 25-year-old man from Libya, has been arrested under the Terrorism Act over the attack.

About 200 former pupils and parents have asked the school’s authorities to rename its humanities block in Mr Furlong’s memory.

In an open letter, some of his former students wrote: “His deep knowledge and love for his subject, his nurturing spirit and his unfaltering kindness towards his students are treasured by all who knew him.

“Though future cohorts of students will never have the privilege of being taught by James, we firmly believe that he should be remembered and honoured by all that pass through its doors.

“James’ legacy is one of wisdom, self-sacrifice, resilience and determination.”

The pupil who worded the letter said Mr Furlong should be remembered in a “tangible” way.

The student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “He was deeply loved and valued and there are people that are going to carry with them the lessons that he gave us and the kindness he showed us. We’ll carry that with us for the rest of our lives I hope, at least I will.

“I hope he did know the impact he had on his students; the fact that we got around 200 signatures in just a couple of hours shows just how important he was to so many people in the community.”

More than 100 pupils held a period of silence at The Holt School on Monday morning, and candles were lit in his memory at a nearby church.

Mr Furlong had taught in his home town of Liverpool before moving to Berkshire.

Katya Beaver, 24, was taught by him at King David High School in Liverpool.

Ms Beaver said: “He really meant a lot to a lot of different people. My friends and I still talk about Jimmy, bearing in mind he taught us GCSE history almost 10 years ago.”

A second victim of the attack has been named as Joe Ritchie-Bennett, an American citizen who moved to the UK 15 years ago.

According to tributes on social media, Mr Ritchie-Bennett was a friend of Mr Furlong.

Mr Ritchie-Bennett’s brother told The Philadelphia Inquirer that his family had been left “heartbroken and beside ourselves” by his death.

Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, confirmed that an American citizen was among those who had died in the Reading attack.

Mr Johnson said: “I offer my deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the attack on 20 June.

“To our great sorrow, this includes an American citizen. Our thoughts are with all those affected.

“We condemn the attack absolutely and have offered our assistance to British law enforcement.’’

Additional reporting from the Press Association