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Following VE Day he spent about a year in Germany on occupation duties. On demobilisation, The Law Society decided that his service in the Army counted as good service under articles and he resumed his legal career with two examinations to faceand qualified as a Solicitor in July 1948 and took up an appointment as Assistant Solicitor with the firm in Macclesfield.
He then joined the 7th Bn The Cheshire Regiment (TA) – a distinguished Unit, which
Staffordshire Regiment Albert Hall
Albert Hall died on 7th May 2015. He was one of the last National Servicemen to serve in 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, from 1960 – 2, which included the first Kenya tour. In his later years, he was a volunteer at the Regimental Museum and was a much liked member of the team. His death was both unexpected and upsetting for those who knew him, as he was an extremely easy going and likeable individual to work with. He was buried in Glascote Cemetery, Tamworth on 2nd June 2015.
Captain Patrick Baron
Pat Baron passed away in Kettering General Hospital on Sunday 16th November, aged 83. He had not been well for the previous few months and was admitted to hospital where he died a few days later. He was commissioned into 1st Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment in Trieste.
He served with the Battalion in Korea, and was one of a gang known as ‘the terrible four’ who lived in a separate group. The others being Mac Mclean, Peter McGahey and Tom Coghill. By this time, he was Assault Pioneer Platoon Commander.
After this, the battalion move to Hong Kong and he was the hub of the mess social life; his room was nicknamed ‘Patties’ after a well-known night club. He served in Depot Lichfield and was MTO in Minden. His post military career was with a drinks company City Vintages, which he enjoyed. He married his wife Elizabeth and they raised a family and they had a very happy family life.
His funeral took place in St. Michael’s Church, Warmington in Warwickshire on 4th December. General Sir Derek Boorman read the eulogy and spoke warmly about Pat’s generosity in lending out his car or picking people up at unsociable hours. He also had the knack of being to sort out a problem and seal the deal at an awkward moment. He was buried next to his son Edward,
who was tragically killed in a train accident in 1981. Our condolences go to his wife Elizabeth and daughters Emma and Sarah and the rest of their family.
One North Stafford ex Private, said that
at one-time Pat owned a Jaguar at a time when few people could afford a car, and for that reason alone he was considered to be a smooth operator. There was no doubt that he touched everyone who knew him, and
has seen service all over the world in two World Wars from Gallipoli in 1915 to North West Europe in 1945.
He was Commanding Officer of the 7th Bn between 1960 and 1963. Thereafter,
he was promoted Colonel and appointed Deputy Commander of 126 Infantry Brigade (TA) an appointment he held for three years before retiring from TA service.
Following retirement from the legal profession in 1986, he served for a period
his soldiers were treated well by him and people spoke about his warmth, sense of fun and generosity.
Brian Bates
Brain Bates passed away on 26th July 2015. He served in 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire regiment in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a stalwart of the Signals Platoon and also served in the MT.
Donald Bradley
We believe that he served in The North Staffordshire Regiment, but regret that we have no other details. His funeral took place at Gornal Wood Crematorium, Dudley on Thursday 26th February 2015.
Captain John Chandler CBE
John William Forsythe Chandler was tragically killed in a traffic accident in Taiwan
on September 30th 2014, aged 76. John Chandler was born on June 16th 1938 and
was a soldier, Chinese linguist, distinguished business leader and music lover.
At Sandhurst, his intellectual ability
and flair for languages were evident
when he passed out in the top 20 of his intake, winning the prestigious prize for Russian. He was commissioned into The Staffordshire Regiment in 1959 and served for 10 years. By his own admission, he was not physically well suited to the infantry,
but he was a caring platoon commander who looked after his soldiers and was well liked by them. They admired his intelligent approach to issues and his bubbling sense of humour.
Initially stationed in Colchester, he was posted with the battalion to Kenya in
1962 where he became anti-tank platoon commander. Due to a drought, soda ash levels in the Rift Valley lakes became high and formed heavy soda rings on the legs of flamingoes and their hatchlings, preventing them from flying. Chandler was dispatched with his platoon to Lake Natron to work with the authorities to rescue the birds. ICI ran a soda extraction plant on a nearby lake, and he made a favorable impression with their management. This was his first meeting with ICI, but was not be his last.
on the Regimental Council of the Cheshire Regiment, became active as a member and Branch Official of the Royal British Legion, and also as Treasurer of the local Committee of the Army Benevolent Fund.
Col Scott is survived by his widow Beryl, three children and four grandchildren.
Major (Retired) Eddie Pickering and Colonel Scott
On the battalion’s return to UK in 1964, Chandler was accepted for Chinese language training, becoming fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese. He raised eyebrows by placing himself on the mailing list of the ‘New China Daily,’ but his understanding of Chinese culture grew rapidly. In due course, he was sent to University in Hong Kong to further
his studies. It was there in 1970 that he came into conflict with the British military authorities over a traffic accident in which a Chinese man was killed by a car driven by a UK national. Chandler’s determined support for the Chinese man led to him leaving the Army.
With his grasp of Chinese, he was recruited by ICI to help their sales efforts
in the region. Selling on the Chinese mainland in the 1970s and 80s was not easy. It needed tact, understanding, patience and a strong constitution. Having arrived at a given destination, there was little to do apart from attend interminable ballets, in which the cast carried rifles
and struck heroic poses. He learned a
lot about communist Chinese officials
and the constraints imposed on them. Colleagues were impressed by the depth
of his understanding, and he became a ‘guru’ within ICI in Asia, becoming CEO
of ICI Taiwan in 1985. At the time, Taiwan was ICI’s largest investment in Asia, and 4th largest in the world with some $1.5 billion invested capital and about the same in annual sales. It is to his credit that when he joined ICI Taiwan, most senior managers were British; when he left all but one was Taiwanese. In 1995, he became Chairman of ICI Taiwan and China until his retirement in 1998. He was appointed CBE in 1995 for his work promoting Anglo-Taiwanese relations.
He developed a lifelong love of wild birds, particularly penguins, which he studied and photographed during 10 trips to the Antarctic. In later years, he formed
a company called ‘Emperor Associates’ and chose ‘rockhoppa@live.com.au’ as his email address. John Chandler had a playful personality, and it was in character that his office featured penguin sculptures and photographs, rather than flowcharts and forecasts. He also enjoyed serenading his staff on the didgeridoo which he played very well.
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