Lt Col. Craig Shephard joined Epsom as a pupil in 1999, as a member of Propert. During his time, Craig joined the CCF and became Cadet RSM, as well as serving as a College Prefect and Head of House.
Before he left the College, Craig was awarded a British Army scholarship. He graduated from Southampton University with a degree in Geography, after which he attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and was commissioned as an officer in the Grenadier Guards.
At the age of 24, Craig was posted to Afghanistan where he and his men sustained intense and constant insurgent attacks. On 4 November 2009, a patrol he was leading came under attack from a group of up to 60 insurgents. He calmly moved his sections back under cover of fire to the patrol base before following himself.
He was awarded the Military Cross for his brave and decisive action; one of the highest military decorations to be awarded.
“His prompt actions and leadership undoubtedly saved his patrol many casualties,” his citation read. “Shephard’s judgement and clear thinking was of the highest order on his first operational tour, within a year of joining the battalion. He displayed leadership, inspirational command, personal bravery and unflinching attention to duty.”
“Lt Col. Shephard’s talk was inspiring as it highlighted how he’d learnt from his own failures and persevered, despite the challenges. My meeting with his was brief but I was inspired by his role and character.” – Max Yu, Year 13
“It was an honour to meet Lt Col. Craig Shephard and to share his extraordinary story with the School. He is a role model of not only Epsom College but our country, and it was an amazing experience to carry out the Chapel service alongside him” – Kaylan Patel, Year 13
Adding to this special occasion, we welcomed back two Propert Housemasters – John Hartley (Housemaster from 1988-2003) and Andy Wolstenholme (Housemaster from 2003-2016) – who knew Craig as a pupil. Joining them was another of Lt. Col Shephard’s Housemasters, Andy Wilson (Housemaster from 2016-2021) and current Propert Housemaster Alex Buhagiar (2021 – present).
