Page 92 - MERCIAN Eagle 2020

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OBITUARIES
AS AT 21 JANUARY 2021
ALDERMAN
Colonel Nigel Stephen Alderman OBE died aged 69 in August 2020. He was born in Salisbury on 11 January 1951 and was commissioned in July 1971 into The Royal Hampshire Regiment as a
Platoon Commander in Northern Ireland, Hong Kong and Canada. He was posted as an Instructor at Sandhurst, before attending the Army Staff College in 1983. In 1984 he was posted to command
A Company 1 STAFFORDS in Colchester. Nigel then completed a Grade Two staff appointment in Headquarters Rear Combat Zone in Düsseldorf. In 1988 he returned
to 1 STAFFORDS as Battalion Second-in- Command. At this time, he transferred to the Staffordshire Regiment and, upon promotion to lieutenant colonel, went to the Ministry
of Defence, tasked with implementing the wider employment of women in the Army. In November 1991 he assumed command of 1 STAFFORDS in Chester. His period
of command included an arduous Op BANNER tour in Fermanagh for which he was made an OBE. He was promoted to Colonel in 1994 and served as Chief of Staff to Headquarters Infantry in Warminster. In December 1997 he became DACOS G3 Training at Headquarters Land Command and was subsequently working as a project officer until his retirement on medical grounds in 2001. Nigel had married Henrietta though they later separated, and they had three children: Nicholas, Julia and Emily.
AMERY
Major Richard Amery died peacefully
on Ferozeshah Day 2020. He was commissioned in the Staffordshire Regiment and joined the 1st Battalion at the end
of 1964. He commanded 14 Platoon
in D Company and in 1967 moved to command 67 Army Youth Team. In 1971 he returned to 1 STAFFORDS to the Assault Pioneer Platoon and, with D Company, completed the 1972 tour in Ulster. Following the tour, he became 2IC B Company, going on later to be Operations and Training Officer. He then went to a GSO3 staff post in MIO, Headquarters Northern Ireland.
He was promoted to major in post and in September 1979 became Training Major 2nd Battalion Mercian Volunteers. In 1981 he returned to 1 STAFFORDS to command Headquarter Company. In May 1985 he was posted to Headquarters South-East District, in June 1988 went to Headquarters 4th Armoured Division and in his later military service specialised in the regeneration of Army barracks and worked in that role
for QMG in Andover and later at Tidworth Garrison. He married Wendy in 1971, them
having met when Richard was at 67 AYT and Wendy was nursing at Burton-on-Trent.
ASTON
Frederick William Aston joined 1st Battalion,
The South Staffordshire Regiment in May 1952, but transferred to 1st Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment in June 1953. He
served with them in Korea, Germany and Hong Kong. He was a keen sportsman and a drummer. He attended every reunion that health and work would allow and enjoyed meeting STAFFORDS from any regiment and regardless of age. His funeral took place on 26 June 2020. Our condolences go to his family.
BARROW
442816 Lt Paul J Barrow of the Cheshire Regiment died in January 2020. Served 1st Bn 1955 – 1959.
BATEMAN
Mr A L Bateman of the Cheshire Regimental Association died 30 March 2020.
BENBOW
Mr Wayne Benbow died on 22 January 2021. Wayne served with 2 MERCIAN (V) and 3 Staffords (V).
BLAKE
Lt Col JDC BLAKE of the Devon and Dorsets died on 8 January 2021 in Tiverton. He served as 2IC 1 WFR from 1971-1973 in Warminster, N Ireland and Berlin and, after attending the Joint Services
Staff College, was promoted to command the Mercian Volunteers until 1977. His final appointment before retiring from the army was as Chief of Staff BRIXMIS.
BLEASDALE
Mr Bill Bleasdale, ex-CSgt of the 1st Bn, the Cheshire Regiment, died 1 May 2020.
BOCK
Major T J Bock MBE, The Cheshire Regiment, died aged 74 in September 2019 after a long illness. A keen athlete and hockey player, Major Terry Bock was commissioned in 1966
serving with the Cheshires in UK, Northern Ireland, Berlin and BAOR. He was a Platoon Commander at IJLB Oswestry in 1968-69 and a Company Commander in 1 Staffords in Gibraltar. Major Bock was the Project Officer charged with setting up the 3rd (V) Battalion the Cheshire Regiment, for which he was awarded the MBE in 1987.
BOSTOCK
Clive BOSTOCK died on 11 May 2020 aged 62. Clive Served with 1 WFR.
BOSWELL
Mr J Boswell of the Cheshire Regimental Association died 10 April 2020.
CAIGER
Lieutenant Colonel John Jeffrey Caiger MBE died peacefully at St Michael’s Hospice, Hereford, on 6 November 2020. Born on 11 July 1936, he was appointed to a Regular Commission
in the North Staffordshire Regiment in December 1955. He was posted to 1st North Staffords in Minden in 1956 and then went to the Mercian Brigade Depot before returning to 1 STAFFORDS for its two tours in Kenya. He was Adjutant at the School
of Infantry between 1963 and 1965 and served in the Headquarters of the Federal Regular Army in Aden between 1965 and 1966. In 1967 he was appointed Adjutant of 1st Battalion the Sherwood Foresters
in Germany and, following Staff College in 1969, was promoted to major and posted to GSO2 Training in Headquarters Far East Land Forces in Singapore, for which he was made MBE. In 1971 John returned to 1 STAFFORDS to command D Company and completed the deployment to Sharjah in 1971-72 and the Armagh Op BANNER tour in 1973. After the Army John was a Director of the Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund and of Hambros Bank. He was married to Mary, who survives him, and three of their four sons: Jonathon, James and Charles. Their fourth son, Edward, died in infancy.
CHEETHAM
Col Michael Stewart CHEETHAM MBE died
on 17 July 2020 aged 82. ‘Mike’ joined the Army Cadet Force in Belper at the age of 13 and was commissioned as 2Lt into Derbyshire Army
Cadets on 29 June 1973. He held various appointments including Coy Comd A Coy rising to the rank of Colonel as County Commandant of 5th Derbyshire Cadet
Bn The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment from 1996 to 2001. He was SSAFA County Branch Secretary/ Fundraiser Recruiter from April 2004
and worked closely with RHQ regarding benevolent matters
CHESHIRE
Major John Cheshire, who served in the Cheshire Regiment between 1957 and 1959, died on 23 February 2020.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE