My wife Jan taught you girls in Stifford Clays infants ( Mrs. Thomas) Your dad was a rather special man, a true gentleman who I was immediately at ease with on my moving from Wales to Thurrock. He had a wicked sense of humour and was very knowledgable about Thurrock , something he never failed to display either up the Rugby Club or at the Allotment! I loved those chats , especially about the “ old days” . I asked him on a few occasions to play for my Staff Rugby Team against my ex students , something he enjoyed a great deal! ( I have a team photo which I can copy should you want one! ) There are many stories about your dad which I was privileged to be a part of but the one personal event that summed him up for me was when I asked him whether I could borrow his machine Tile cutter. I was working on our little house in Wales and was having a torrid time cutting the tiles with a traditional cutter. He lent me the machine which did the job perfectly and on returning the machine , I gave him a bottle of Claret ( from my cellar , well garage actually) as a thank you! He put his arm around my shoulder and said” friends do not need to be rewarded for helping friends”! I was quite moved by that statement and it’s remained with me .
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