Dad left school at 14, the normal age in those days School Reference.

Always a keen sportsman he was a good athlete, played amateur football for the "Guildford Pinks". In 1938 he left the "pinks" and became a professional boxer.

He worked also as a carpenter for Holfords in Guildford and seemed to work over a wide area, Guildford, Basingstoke, Reading, Henley etc.

In 1939, six days after war was declared, he married   Dorothy Edith Alexander, a marriage that was to last 64 years. I gather that there should have been a guard of honour of Boxing Gloves outside the church but many of the men had already been called up for war duty and could not attend.

The carpenters department was involved in the early days of Glass Reinforced Plastic it was then that he found he had a serious allergy to epoxy resin. He was probably one of the first to have drops of various resin mixes placed on this arm to see the reaction. There was a time when I only had to mention Araldite and he would get very uncomfortable.

One other noteworthy item from his time in the Carpenters, would be the way "Aircraft Honeycomb" was cut. Some aircraft structures were made from a sandwich of aluminium sheets on the outside and aluminium honeycomb in the middle. Cutting the thin honeycomb material with conventional cutters did not work, the material would just collapse. The Americans used to fill the honeycomb with water, freeze it and then cut it. Imagine the mess and bother just to shape a panel.

Whose idea it was I do not know but at Weybridge the honeycomb material was cut with a toothless Bacon slice cutter at very high speed.

In the 1960's be became general works foreman of the Weybridge factory with some 11,000 workmen as his responsibility. A job I think he enjoyed because of his friendly way with people.

He retired from factory work in 1971 but continued working in his garden for another 30 years.

That garden ... let me back track a bit. In 1941 he paid £708 18 6 for the house and an extra plot of land Now remember please, there is a war on, what did he want with an extra piece of bramble covered land that used to be part of the moat around the Grange ( a large house nearby). I think that is what the developer thought and was happy to get rid of it for £50.

Read about the full history of the house that he lived in from 1939 to 2004 History of number 70

My first memories of that garden would be of a row of trees across the garden near the house, 20 yards of lawn a then a working vegetable garden from
the air raid shelter to the end, with chickens, rabbits and cabbages.

The property was 100 yards from front gate to the bottom of the garden and gave him a place to work to hide and to think. He said that his dad made him like gardening. In my latter years I can look back on Sunday mornings moving the chicken house on wooden rollers like the Egyptians moved their rocks for the Pyramids I was only eight or so. Later, still at school, I help design and I made the moveable chicken run frames from Dexion and wire netting. There was no pressure there just help and encouragement.

When I left home in 1969 he (I should say they here Mum as well) helped and came over once a week to mow the lawn or just help.

He was an active member of the Weybridge retired club, continued driving until he was over 80. When mum had to go into hospital and he was asked, "If there was anything he needed" his reply was, "Perhaps a packet of carrot seeds".

In 1989 George & Dorothy celebrated their 50 wedding anniversary. The day started with a renewal of their marriage vows at the same church in which they were married. and ended with a large gathering of friends and family in Guildford.

He had hip problems, he said that was his knees. Anyway he was clearing a few things in the garden and had a bonfire going. For some reason he could not feel the fact that his boots were on fire, may be just too slow. He was out of action for a while, not serious. Then the winter then his replacement hip operation. He was never to go in the garden again.

They coped, had a loo and wash basin installed downstairs and just got on with life. The details I'm not too sure, shopping, pension and banks etc. I think was via the help of neighbours etc. It's all a bit of a blur now.

Things got to a head at the end of 2001 they are both in hospital and now not coping and the hospital is getting fined £50 a day for "bed blocking". I asked for a "live in" nurse at their home.

This worked so well and gave them both another two years of enjoyable life together.

There follows a few texts written by me at the time of his death and subsequent funeral:-

An e-mail sent to friends and family:-