I have known John from the time I joined the club in 1947. Of course in those days he was one of several club senior oarsmen who had rowed successfully in the immediately pre-war days. He was always known to us as John. I am unable to establish the date he was originally elected a member of the Club but it must have been in the early 1930s. In the minutes for that period his name first appears as attending a General Meeting on 7 December 1932. Later on 10 January 1934 he was elected Vice Captain, a post he held for the remainder of the year. He then remained a committee member. After the war on 6th January 1946 at a meeting held at Mortlake Rowing Club, Cygnet became the overall Civil Service men's club, rowing from the Chiswick boathouse; John was at that meeting. At the time of his death John had been the Club's Senior Vice President for many years. A few old friends celebrated his 94th birthday with him this year on the 24 March.
Once when listening to the wireless in the 1937s I remember hearing a commentary of a professional sculling race between Lou Barry and Eric Phelps. In those days the sculler could be followed by an eight with the bow seat fixed so that the coach (Bert Barry) could pilot his man over the course. Phelps was followed by a launch as his father "Bossie" Phelps was a very large man but Barry was followed by a Cygnet eight and John was part of that crew.
Living in Tooting and when a boy of 14 he was taken by his parents to the local GPO Office and accepted for employment as a Telegram Messenger Boy. These uniformed lads delivered telegrams by bicycle throughout the locality. Later similarly to the majority of other Cygnet men he became a post office sorter. During the war years he served in the Royal Navy as a telegraphist, much of the time on mine sweepers. Late at night in the bar he would recount tales of his times at sea, including being immediately at hand prior to the Normandy landings and sweeping the Schelde under heavy fire from shore batteries. Returning after the war he was recruited into the Home Civil Service; completing his career in the then Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, retiring as a Higher Executive Officer after 45 years service.
Immediately post war John continued rowing, coaching and racing. Early in the 1950s he married Joan Wilcox a member of the Civil Service HQ Ladies RC. They made a particularly handsome couple. Sadly this marriage lasted a relatively short while. In the mid 1950s he became the principal Cygnet coach with considerable success. Later he coached the Civil Service Ladies Rowing Club again with distinction. Not only was he a considerable motivator but also, on occasion, quite inspirational. He remained an amusing raconteur including tales of life at "Bull Towers" the apocryphal family home and estate.
I always considered John a great and supportive friend. Over the past few years and particularly whilst he had been partially home bound I have visited him in his Hammersmith home. Invariably he has been pleased to see me and of course we talked a great deal about the "good old days", the fun times we had and the beer drunk. These chats often involved news of the bungalow on Hamhaugh Island, of which he was especially fond. Up to three years ago he visited and stayed a week twice a year. He remembered the building of the original bungalow in 1930s. It is through his generosity that much of the reconstruction work over the last few years has been possible. He was a Club Trustee and a member of the Bungalow Management Committee. We, his old chums, will miss him.
Ronnie Lambe.