Page 149 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

On retiring in 1998, he settled in Melbourne, Australia and pursued his love of classical music, becoming the President of the Musical Society of Victoria; a role
he held until his death. Through the MSV, his enthusiasm and leadership helped many aspiring musicians to develop and showcase their skills. He is survived by his wife Deborah and three children from two marriages.
Captain Simon
Paul Chandler Captain Simon Chandler died on Friday 23rd January 2015 in Bristol aged 52. He was diagnosed with Myeloma, and despite receiving treatment, eventually succumbed.
Simon was born on 6th April 1962,
and came from Endon in Stoke-on-Trent, attending St. Joseph’s College and the Sixth Form College in Stoke-on-Trent.
He went to Oxford University where he joined Oxford University Officers’ Training Corps, and whilst there decided to join The Staffordshire Regiment.
He made an immediate impression on a Potential Officer visit to the 1st Battalion in Gibraltar, by winning the Gibraltar 20 Mile Open Road Race in the record time of 1 hour 47 minutes, against a high standard field that had the advantage of local knowledge. He was commissioned on 24th June 1984, and joined 1 STAFFORDS in Colchester. He was one of the fittest officers the battalion ever had; winning the Eastern District 5000 meters in 1985 (his photo appears the Stafford Knot October 1985 page 49).
On an average performance, often straight off an exercise, he would make the top five of any brigade level cross country competition. This was when the marathon craze blossomed in UK, and the battalion had a group of committed runners who took part in numerous marathons, half marathons and other runs in both UK and Germany. Simon’s PB for the marathon was 2 hrs 33 mins.
After the battalion moved to Fallingbostel, he was BAOR Under 25 Tennis Champion in 1986. He then formed a bi-athlon team, and took part in the 1 Armoured Division Competition which was held in Austria
in 1986/7 and 1897/8. The team came second in the infantry competition and fourth in the novices. He served in Jamaica for a month with the Jamaica Defence Force chasing drug smugglers, and served in Northern Ireland with The Grenadier Guards before resigning in 1989.
He married Lorna, became a solicitor and settled down to a happy family life in Bristol. Simon had a deep sense of fair play and fought hard to help the underdog. The deep respect that his legal colleagues held him in, was enhanced when he planned two raids on ‘characters nefarious’ in East London and Northumberland. These were planned
with military precision and executed in a dramatic way and his colleagues said that these raids, without exception, were the two most exciting days of their entire careers.
Shortly before he died, he had the pleasure of watching his son Miles gain an Oxford Blues for cross country running, something he had achieved gaining
three blues. His funeral took place in
Clifton Cathedral, Bristol on Thursday
12th February 2015. There was a strong regimental turn out including two Branch Standards. Major Steve Burton represented the Colonel of the Regiment, Major
Andy Snell represented the Regimental Association, and the congregation consisted of around 450 people. The service was officiated by Canon Alan Finley, who was RC Padre in Fallingbostel in the late 1980s, when Simon served there. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Lorna and their sons Miles and Cameron.
One legacy from Simon’s funeral was
the Memorial garden to remember those who were lost in WW1 in Clifton Cathedral, which was opened on 28th June. Lorna, a professional landscape gardener, offered to design it and ended up planting most of it as well.
William Benjamin Clowes
William Clowes died on 6th February 2015, aged 82. Bill was born on 7th January 1933 and served with 1st Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment in Trieste around 1951 – 3. After he left the army,
he became an active member of the Stourbridge Branch of the Staffordshire Regimental Associatio,n and attended the annual reunions until his health deteriorated.
He was also a member of the Kingswinford Branch of the Royal British Legion. Lieutenant Colonel Keith Jeavons represented the regiment at his funeral, which took place at St. Mary’s Church in Kingswinford.
Bill Didlock
Bill Didlock died on 27th June 2015. He was a member of Lichfield Branch and his funeral took place on 13th July.
Alec Franks
Alec Franks died on 23rd December 2014, aged 94. Alec was born on 18th January 1920, and served in the Second World War as an ambulance driver with the RASC. He was in North Africa and Italy, where he was captured. He was liberated in Germany in 1945 by the Russian Army and repatriated later.
After the War, he worked for Albrighton Wilson Chemicals in Oldbury. In 2008,
he joined Hednesford Branch of The Staffordshire Regiment Association as an honorary member, and quickly took to both the Branch and Association. He took part
in numerous Association events, including many funerals and as one of our oldest members, became well known throughout the Association. He actually admitted that his last few years of life were made by being
in Hednesford Branch and the Staffordshire Regiment Association. He wrote a book about his WW2 experiences – ‘The Non Combatant’ and this was published in 2012. His funeral took place at Telford Crematorium on Wednesday 14th January 2015.
Derrick Holt
Derrick Holt died on 15th June 2015, in
the Samuel Johnson Hospital, aged 92. He was born in Barnsley on the 20th March 1923, and grew up with two younger sisters, Olive and Sheila, when
life was coloured by the threat of war. Aged 16 when war broke out meant that at some time, Derrick would be called to serve his country.
He served in The North Staffordshire Regiment and as he held the North Africa Star, Italian Star and WW2 Medal, he must have served with the 2nd Battalion in Tunisia and Anzio. Derrick was seriously injured in Italy. His leg was broken in three places, and he spent quite some time in hospital. Indeed, the family have two beautiful embroideries which Derrick made to pass his time whilst recovering. He also sustained some shrapnel wounds, undiscovered until later in life. In true stoic fashion, Derrick’s response was to leave the shrapnel where
it was – too late to remove it...it had been there a long time.
He later served with The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry and The Hampshire Regiment, completing his service in 1946. At some stage he was in Glasgow, where he met his future wife Betty, and they were married in 1947. After the war, he lived in Lichfield and became a plumber and later heating engineer, working at Fradley Airfield, followed by jobs with Deakins, Toogoods and other local firms. He was a brother, husband, father, grandfather and great- grandfather and his funeral took place on 26th June 2015.
Derrick was passionate in his support for his regiment, and as a veteran member of Lichfield Branch, attended many reunions and commemorative events. One of his proudest moments was in November 2014, although his health had deteriorated by then and he had just come out of hospital, was the honour of laying a poppy wreath at the Lichfield Memorial Garden
on Remembrance Sunday. He saluted his fallen comrades from his wheelchair, and then received a round of applause as his comrades saluted their oldest veteran.
Sam Hutchings
Sam Hutchins died on 18th January 2015. He enlisted on 30 January 1944, and served until September 1948. He joined the Territorial Army served with the 5/6th North Staffords, and the Royal Warwick’s until 1964. He joined the Regimental Association in 1964, and was one of the founder
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