Obituaries (Page updated to 27 July 2010 ) to In Memoriam list
From the July/August Journal 2010
Roy Bealby (NE 3217)
Teesside area members were shocked in February to hear that Roy Bealby had passed away aged 78. Roy was a keen and active member of the NE Area and the Society for many years. He gave many talks over the years to the SLS and many other societies on a wide variety of topics but none could compare with the exposition on the ‘Quintinshill Accident of 1915’ of which he had made particular study. Indeed his third article in the ‘Journal’ was ‘Quintinshill - 90 Years On’ (July/Aug 2005). This was a worthy successor to ‘Lickey Memories of 1955’ (Sept/Oct 1990) and ‘F.G. Smith and the Highland Railway River Class’ (March/April 1995). His ‘slide’ shows using an epidiascope were as legendary as they were enjoyable and informative.
Roy’s knowledge of railway matters was prodigious and was put to good use in crossword competitions and quizzes of which he was a regular winner. One win of which he was particularly proud in later years was on a ‘Bibby’s of Ingleton’ coach tour when he became the first person in the history of their tours to obtain 100% correct answers and for which he was awarded a model of the coach. Although primarily a ‘rail enthusiast’ Roy had catholic interests in the transport field and was an avid coach tourer, often with a railway slant, with his wife Pam.
Roy was brought up in Gainsborough of which he was immensely proud - A3 60086 was a favourite, and he was educated at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Gainsborough prior to National Service in Klagenfurt and this was the start of his interest in foreign travel, European railways in particular. After National Service he obtained a BA in Politics and Modern History from the University of Manchester, his studies including a thesis on ‘Railways as a factor in the American Civil War’. University was followed by a long and distinguished career in ICI at Billingham where he was a much respected member of the Distribution Department, commercial negotiation being his forte. He carried out his duties with aplomb, particularly when involved with courtesy trips to the Lido in Paris and sending his boss on a nightmare trip to Stranraer, courtesy of British Rail.
His funeral held on 18 February at St Peter’s Church, Yarm, Cleveland was attended by about 140 of his relatives and friends including Society members Martin Green, Mike Collier, Brian Henderson, Tom Gasgarth and Frank Hope.
Our thoughts are with and our condolences go to his widow Pam.
Peter J. Rodgers
From the May/June Journal 2010
Charles Patrick Peter Britton (LNW 3522) Charles Britton died on 14 February 2010, aged 94 years, after 4½ years residence in a Nursing Home in Urmston, coincidentally the same home as the one in which our late member Doug Darby spent his final years.
Charles was a regular attender at our Manchester meetings for many years. For the whole of his working life he was a book-keeper cashier, and his meticulous attention to detail for which so many railway enthusiasts are renowned was highly appreciated by his employers. He was a widower without children, and his funeral arrangements were made by his god-daughter Jean Byrne, to whom the Society’s sympathies have been conveyed. The Society was represented at the funeral by Malcolm Dickin and Ronnie Gee.
Malcolm Dickin
The Society is also sorry to learn of the death of Myles Birkett Atkinson (NW 1664) of Kendal and Peter Robinson (NW 5570) of Doncaster.
From the March/April Journal 2010
Fergus Robertson Johnson (NW 2500)
It was been a great shock to learn of the sudden death of Fergus at his home in Rhos-on-Sea on 11 January 2010, at the age of 78. The funeral service was attended by Malcolm Dickin and Mike Blease on behalf of the Society.
Fergus lived in the Manchester area until his retirement, having attended both Manchester Grammar School and Manchester University. For most of his working life he was an Industrial Chemist with ICI at Blackley. He retired at the early age of 50 and moved to North Wales, living initially with his parents at 22 Cambrian Drive, Rhos-on-Sea, and continuing to live there after the death of his parents.
Fergus had been a member of the Society since 1951. He was the Secretary of the Joint Railtours Sub-Committee of the Manchester Locomotive Society and the North Western Area of the Stephenson Locomotive Society and also of the Railtours Co-ordination Committee for many years. He was also the Secretary of the North Western Area of our Society from 1986 until his death. In addition he also received the renewal forms and annual members’ subscriptions for the whole Society, a task which he had performed for over 25 years. He was heavily involved in the current year’s renewals at the time of his death, banking the cheques, reporting his actions to the Society’s Treasurer, and notifying the Secretary of any changes of address or other relevant alterations. His work in this connection, as well as his activities as North Western Area Secretary, were always carried out with meticulous attention to detail, and it will be hard to find an equally competent successor.
The Society expresses its sincere condolences to his sister Janet and the other members of his family on their sad loss, and also places on record its thanks to Janet for spending time in gathering together all Fergus’s paperwork in connection with the current year’s membership renewals and handing them over to the Society.
The Society was also sorry to learn of the death of Roy Bealby (NE 3217) of Hartburn, Stockton on Tees.
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In Memoriam
E. Baker G. A. Barlow Dr. A. L. Barnett B.C. Bending J.K. (Ken) Brewster James Ian Craig Boyd Henry Arthur Vaughan Bulleid K. J. Carpenter R. Carter M. Challis R L Chambers D. Clayton A. B. 'Bert' Collins D.E. Collins Bernard Cordingley R.M.B. Crombie Richard Ross Cunningham James Douglas Darby J.J. Davis P. G. Douglas J. Dulieu John M. Edgson J. M. Fleming P. J. Garland Dr. I. Gavin John Roland Gill (S 5355) John Charles Gillham B.F. Gilliam C E Greaves Peter T. Handford Dr J.A. Heslop Major J.W.B. Hext MBE Dr John Ramsay Horler (NE 8151) T. J. Holden A. R. House R.H. Hughes R Hughes R. Hutcheson C.P.A. Judge Ken Lea J. M. Learmont Brian Lewis of Sale ( not the current Society Chairman!) Fred J. Liptrot Dr Arthur James Lowe K. K. Mackay Dr N. A. MacKillop D Mason P.A.G. Michie Bernard Mitchell P. Moore S. C. Nash Ronald I. Nelson Peter Nettleton J. E. Newsome T.E. Norfolk J.W. Parnham N. Pearce R. C. Riley John A. Robinson H. D. Rowbotham R.W. Rush Donald Scott W. D. Seddon Rev Cyril A. Selman P.W.B.Semmens E.W. Sisman Reginald Sowler (NE 6620) Richard ‘Dick’ Swarbrick S. W. Thomson W. H. Thompson R. O. Tuck David Whiteside G. N. Wildish Dr K. C. Willson Ken Wilson
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