John

I’m afraid I have some very sad news. After several months of acute pain and ill-health met with great fortitude and dignity, John slipped away very peacefully on Saturday 19th September 2020.

He had been suffering from Discitis, an infection of a disc in his spine. He received wonderful care from everyone on Elmton Ward, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and we kept thinking and hoping he might be turning the corner, but sadly it was not to be.

I am writing this in great haste with no time to tell you more. I will later.

There’ll be a Cremation Service at Chesterfield Crematorium at 10am on Thursday 8th October 2020 to which we can invite in theory a maximum of 30 people. It means, practically, more like about 10 or 12 and no legal opportunity afterwards to celebrate together the passing of a great friend and family man.

With all the increasing Covid restrictions it is proving very difficult to arange the kind of send off we would’ve wished for John, a man who had had a very full and interesting life with very many friends, colleagues and ex-pupils.

No singing, canned music…The only compensation is that the service will be streamed so that anyone unable (or perforce uninvited) to attend will be able to watch the service. We don’t yet have the link but when we have, if anyone would like me to send it to them please send an email to fsfamily20@gmail.com

There will be a notice tomorrow, Saturday 26th September, in both the Times and the Telegraph, thanks to the Old Bramcotian Society who have submitted it on our behalf.

And I will write more later when I have more time. Meanwhile, here is goodbye from him…

8th December 20198th December 2019

Leaving India, Again…

John and his ‘leavers of 69’ pupils, over 50 years ago

Completing the circle, half a century later

When we left India in April 1968 we imagined we were leaving for good. John’s three-year contract with the Cathedral and John Connon School in Bombay had come to an end and he had been offered another teaching job in the UK. We had thoroughly enjoyed our time in India, but were now, complete with baby (Ruth) embarking on the next stage of our lives.

Little did we think…

5th May 20195th May 2019

Bombay Friends & Memories

The Class of ’67

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In July 1965 John and I were married, in the tiny church in the little village of Ringmore, S. Devon. It was all very charming, very English.

Two weeks later, we set sail for India, where John had been offered his first teaching job as a recently qualified teacher, at the Cathedral and John Connon School in the centre of Bombay/Mumbai.