I feel privileged to have known John and Ann since we were all at university together in the late 50s and I have greatly valued our continuing long-standing friendship.

John's funeral evokes a mixture of immediate emotions: Sadness at his passing; Relief for the family that he is finally at rest and Admiration for Ann's care and devotion through the difficult years since his accident. However, I rejoice that my enduring memory of John is of a life full of laughter, good humour and numerous practical jokes.

John and I worked together at the Gas Council's Research Centre on a project involving the detonation of air/gas mixtures in pipes. The resulting deafening explosions were quite alarming and so were always accompanied by a warning signal. Ever the joker, and especially when unsuspecting visitors were in the vicinity, John was noted for “forgetting” that the warning signal was supposed to be activated BEFORE the firing button and not afterwards!

In our student days John enjoyed a drinking game called “Here's to Cardinal Puff”. On one occasion I recall assisting John home in the early hours after he had indulged in a little too much Puff Puff Puffing. John impressed on us that it was imperative not to wake his parents. Having parked a short distance along the road from his home, three of us helped John to his front door with much whispered shushing from John. With John safely inside and the door quietly closed we were tiptoeing out of the gate when there was a noisy jangling of chimes followed by a loud crash. John had engaged in an impromptu dance with their grandfather-clock which ended up on the floor. As lights came on upstairs and in neighbouring properties, John called out “ It's OK it's just the dog” to which a stern voice responded “What dog? We haven't got a dog!”  We made a swift departure.

John was a prominent member of the Student Council. One day a large parcel arrived in the Council Office addressed to John who was away on a “working in industry” segment of his course. This parcel knocked around the office getting in everyone’s way for several months before John returned and opened it. Inside was a huge wooden spoon and a placard –

                                       FOR THE BIGGEST STIRRER AROUND

The whole Council, not least John himself, regarded that as a very apt description. That is the way I remember him and feel sure John would approve.

With Happy Memories and much Love Edward Betts