John was born on 12th September 1932 in Commercial Road, Bedford and lived there
until his family moved to Queens Park. From the age of seven he attended a boarding
school in Bushey, Hertfordshire, travelling alone on the train from Bedford. It must have
been quite a daunting experience for one so young, especially during wartime. John
spoke little of his time at school, but we know that he enjoyed the holidays spending time
fishing with his grandparents in Kempston.
After leaving school, John was called up to carry out his National Service. He joined the
RAF, reporting to RAF Cardington. He successfully trained to be a navigator and was
awarded the Scroll of Honour for his intake. Although a very competent navigator, on one
flight his pilot was concerned that John did not appear to be sending them in the right
direction and it later transpired that there was a hole in his oxygen pipe and the resulting
oxygen deprivation caused him to give incorrect instructions.
During his service with the RAF John flew in Javelins, Canberras and Vampires, achieving
a supersonic speed in a Javelin, which was quite a feat as it was at the limit of the
aircraft’s capabilities. Initially based at RAF Coltishall, the RAF allowed John (who never
possessed a passport) to travel to places including Canada and Germany. It was whilst
based in Germany that John had occasion to fly along the Ruhr valley and his pilot
decided to re-enact the Dambusters raid, an incident which upset the locals and caused
those involved to be grounded.
In 1957, whilst enjoying a period of leave, John met Pamela Rainbow in the Bedford Arms
at Oakley. Love blossomed and they were married the following year. Their son Jonathan
was born at RAF Wegberg in Germany in 1959, a fact of which John was unaware for a
couple of days, as at the time he was on a survival course in Canada. When Jonathan
was three years old the family returned to England and John left the RAF. He had a
couple of jobs before becoming an air traffic controller at RAE Thurleigh until his
retirement.
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As a young man John enjoyed playing golf, but an unfortunate accident falling from an
unsafe ladder causing a fractured elbow meant that his golfing days were effectively over.
However, he still obtained pleasure from fishing, although he didn’t always land fish. One
day Jonathan decided to walk down to the river to see how his dad was getting on. He
watched as John cast out and a duck took the maggot. In a state of panic, John
managed to reel it in and release this unexpected catch.
In later life he enjoyed sports more as a spectator, always keen to watch and discuss the
latest scores in rugby, cricket and golf, although for many years he was an umpire for
Pavenham Cricket Club. As a man who enjoyed the countryside he was a regular walker,
initially with his Labrador dogs, but always with his walking stick in his hand and a cap on
his head. Strolls by the river and around the nature reserve afforded an opportunity to
pass the time of day with other walkers or anglers.
After losing Pam in 2012, John became a regular member of the congregation at St.
Mary’s Church, helping to take around the coffee at the end of the services. He also
enjoyed the fellowship afforded by events such as Teas in the Church, the Thursday Club
and Lunch Together.
John was an avid reader of the Telegraph and was always keen to discuss items that he
ad read. During recent stays in hospital when his health was failing he wouldn’t
complain about his circumstances, provided he had his newspaper and a secret stash of
sweets!
Generous with his time, John was a quiet, gentle man who was devoted to his family. He
will be sorely missed by us all.
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