Tribute To Dad 9th March 2012 Ken reads ... Early Years Dad was born on 5th June, 1926 in the Walker district of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne to parents Dorothy and Roger. He lived in the Chillingham Road area of Heaton for many years, being brought up in railway cottages, together with his elder sister Nancy and two younger brothers Sid and Les.     His father and grandfather were both train drivers and from an early age Dad was fascinated by trains. In fact he lost half his little finger, and nearly severed his ring finger, trying to clamber over a bank covered in barbed wire to see a particularly important train. Dad developed a hardworking ethic from an early age and as a youngster he used to work for his Uncle John, delivering goods. When he was only 10 years old he also started selling the Saturday football newspaper which contained that days match report. There was competition with other sellers but he soon learned to defend his ‘spot’ and keep other potential newspaper sellers at bay. Three of the threads that dominated his life were developed and nurtured during these early years – loving and caring for his family, working hard and football.   An apprentice on the railways Dad started his working life as an apprentice on the railways in 1941 at the tender age of just fourteen and a half, following so very proudly in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather.  He spent 10 happy years working on the maintenance of railway engines including the world famous ‘Flying Scotsman’ train. It was here that he learnt many of the ‘practical’ skills that meant he was able to fix almost anything…from faulty household appliances through to car engines. Sadly that particular gene was not passed down to my brother, Roger, much to the irritation of his wife! The RAF Dad joined the RAF in August 1950, where he was an engineering mechanic, and signed up for five years. He loved hitching rides in the planes that he had serviced.  The pilots were pleased to take him – as it reassured them that their planes were flight worthy!  There were plenty of opportunities for sport in the RAF and Dad took full advantage of that. Unfortunately he broke his leg in three places playing football and had to spend six months recovering before he could get back to active service. For a large portion of his time Dad was based in Germany. This was a period that included the start of two historical periods…the Berlin blockade and the outbreak of  cold war with Russia. He left the RAF in 1955, after turning down another five year commission. His rank was that of SAC, office no 3507906…a number that made him very proud. He then remained as an RAF ‘reservist’ for a further 4 years. His service record included... •         Square bashing at Henslow in Luton  •         Working on Vampire aeroplanes for 93 squadron based in Celle / Germany •         Working on Meteors aeroplanes for 87 squadron based in Wahay / Germany •         Working on Canberra bombers for 115 squadron based in Marham / Norfolk •         Working on Canberra numbers for 9 squadron based in Bingbrook, Lincs In later years I can remember him watching every trouping of the colours on television by the Queen and informing us that, it was a joy to be a part of ‘marching’. He also enjoyed the annual Edinburgh military tattoo for similar reasons.   Personal Section (Ken) - My memories of Dad   Dad always had a great sense of  family – he loved his parents, his sister Nancy, his brothers Sid and Les, his cousins, and all his relations’ families. He loved my mam, Ambrosine, and his four boys, Roger, Nigel, Geoff and I and all of his many grandchildren.   Dad brought us up to  love football and cricket, spending long days playing football in the park and cricket on the beach. In 1966, we went on a seaside holiday in a caravan with a rented television. We were all disappointed the following year when we realised that the World Cup wasn’t going to be on telly every time that we went on holiday! Dad took a great interest and played a big role in everything that we did. For many years he would accompany me to matches when I was a football referee… and he was always 100% supportive. Poem of Life   Life is but a stopping place, A pause in what's to be, A resting place along the road, to sweet eternity. We all have different journeys, Different paths along the way, We all were meant to learn some things, but never meant to stay... Our destination is a place, Far greater than we know. For some the journey's quicker, For some the journey's slow. And when the journey finally ends, We'll claim a great reward, And find an everlasting peace, Together with the lord   A message from me   Dear Dad   You gave me life You taught me respect  You gave me hope You made me laugh You always had time for me I loved you I was proud to be your son I will miss you and I will keep your memory alive   Sandra and I will always light a candle for you    Love always, Ken Roger reads... Meeting Ambrosine & Marriage Dad met my mam, Ambrosine, at a dance venue (The Oxford Galleries in Newcastle) during 1956 and they were married the following year on 23rd of March, 1957 at the Registry Office in Newcastle.  This was the start of a marriage which would last almost 55 years.    Gannin Sooth 1957 was a very big year for Dad…newly married, he also secured a new job and ultimately the start of a new life in the South West of England. Home was to be 300 miles away from Newcastle in the Roman City of Bath. Together with my mam they established a life in Bath for over 30 years and during that time they had their ‘boys’…Roger, Kenneth, Nigel and Geoffrey.   Working Life (Stothert & Pitt) Work for Dad was at Stothert & Pitt or S&P as they were more commonly known. A major British engineering company founded in the 18th century in Bath, Dad had joined them after seeing an advert in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle and interviewing successfully. Dad started out as an engineer but, always a man that was happy to volunteer, he soon made himself better known to the management as the main Union representative for thousands of workers. A soft spoken, gentle Geordie, he stood up for workers’ rights and would take no nonsense. Subsequently he was ‘promoted’ to Health & Safety Officer, where he was responsible for the safety of all the workers and the safety of the cranes that had been built. One of his tests was to walk along the arm of the crane to ensure that the crane wouldn’t collapse! Ken remembers very clearly when he was small all of us being out with my mam in the centre of Bath, near the river, and hearing a voice calling our names. We looked all around before spotting Dad, standing on the end of a crane, seemingly miles in the air, on the other side of the river, waving at us. He was always completely fearless. Ultimately he became the works engineering inespector. This entailed many activities and one of Dad’s key responsibilities was to visit sites that hired S&P cranes to ensure that they were being properly maintained. He had no compunction about shutting them down if he thought that they were unsafe, even in the Navy dockyards. He wouldn’t take any risk with the lives of fellow workers. His travels took him to most of the navy dockyards in the UK and he was even offered an assignment in Australia. However as he was such a devoted family man he turned it down as he did not want to be away from his family for such a long time. Dad spent just over 25 years working for S&P before retiring due to ill health in the early 1980’s.  Retirement In retirement my mam and dad moved away from Bath to live on the coast at Weston-Super-Mare. Dad would walk for miles every day with my mam and relished seaside living. Sadly this was also a period that included the death of Nigel…something that he never really got over. In 1998, they moved to another coastal resort, Scarborough, to be closer to Ken and I who had gradually moved further North over the years. This again was a place that Dad loved and where he had taken my mam on honeymoon in 1957. Dad found the view from the cliffs of the town and of the sea breathtaking. Once again, although Scarborough was much hillier than Weston-Super-Mare, my mam and dad would walk for miles every day. Gradually as the years passed Dad became prone to sudden collapses and had to cut-back on his epic walks. He adapted to this by reading avidly, by doing complex jigsaws and indulging his lifelong passion for jazz music. In addition he set up and organised weekly indoor bowling and a group lottery where he lived in retirement accommodation at Harford Court. Personal Section (Rog) - My memories of Dad He was a man  who was immensely proud of his Geordie roots…and who returned ‘home’ in the closing years of his life… He was a family man…completely devoted especially to my mam… He was a man who could tell a tale…the 12/14 hour car journey from Bath to Newcastle is legendary…city by city, town by town, road by road…sometimes it felt that the tale took longer than the journey itself. He was a football man…and I make no apologies for providing a number of key events familiar to both Ken and I… • He was present at the 13-0 victory over Newport County at St. James Park in 1946 • He regaled us with tales of the 1950’s FA Cup Final victories…Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell, Frankie Brennan are all names etched in my brain. • He revelled in England winning the 1966 World Cup…afterwards he took me to the cinema to see ‘Goal’ which was an account of the tournament. • He took me to my first home match in 1966 when I was only 7 years old. I remember going back to relatives after the match and telling my mam, with all sincerity that the referee had no eyes. When she asked why I thought that…it became clear that my Dad had spent the entire match telling the referee that he must be blind. • He travelled far and wide to get my first ever Newcastle kit…a difficult task in the days of no internet or super stores…and especially based 300 miles away from Newcastle. • He listened to the 1969 European Fairs Cup victory on a crackly radio commentary from Budapest • He got tickets for the 1974 FA Cup Final, in the Liverpool section mind you like many others. There was a tube strike and he had to walk all the way from Paddington to Wembley. Did that matter…no…because he was going to see the lads play in a cup final. • He took us to away matches…always sitting in with the home fans because he thought that was safer for us. Then immediately a match started he would bellow his support for Newcastle…all eyes would turn to us…accusingly. But it did not faze him in the slightest…he was a tough man who could look after himself if necessary. • He took me training at Bristol City as a teenager every Tuesday and Thursday evening…that despite having already worked a long day at work. • He was instrumental in setting up a schoolboy football league when he discovered that nothing existed down South. He set about remedying that and organised a league that eventually grew to 1,200 players. Dad remained the League Secretary for many years.   So…in summary…who was Dad   Dad was a Geordie… He was a proud man… He was a hardworking man… He was a practical man…good with his hands which was allied to a sharp brain… He was a gentle, caring and considerate man… He was a resilient man…enduring many illnesses and operations throughout his life… He was a ‘fighter’ of a man… He was a family man…always fiercely protective of his sons and his wife He was a devoted husband…his face always lit up at the mere mention or sight of  my mam. That never changed and it was clear that the ‘heartbeat’ of Dad’s life was always his love for my mam And finally… He was a great man…and we will always love and remember him   Final Years Dad spent the last four years of his life in care. We would like to express our deep gratitude to the people who looked after Dad so well and who treated him with such love and respect.