John Endall RIP

John Endall on a PM@1 OB in the Cotswolds. Photo by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission.

John Endall on a PM@1 OB in the Cotswolds. Photo by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m sorry to have to tell you that John Endall died on Saturday morning. He didn’t recover from his fall in the autumn of last year, despite having had a new hip replacement. His daughter, Penny told me that he had been in Kidderminster hospital for quite a while, for recuperation, but had developed various infections and also hadn’t really been given enough physio to avoid muscle wastage. The latter meant that he hadn’t the strength to attempt to walk towards the end.

I visited him in Redditch hospital a few weeks after his operation, and he seemed quite chipper at the time. I told him that only the previous day I had been walking near Rutland Water and had come across the pub in Whissendine where we used to stay whilst doing Gardeners’ World from Barnsdale. Needless to say many ‘fireside O.B. yarns’ were told after that!

John Kimberley

John worked at Alexandra Palace after the war and then Carpenter Road and later Pebble Mill. Known to many as ‘Biggles’, he had a good innings reaching 90 years and was active with swimming and sailing throughout his retirement.

Anne Gumbley-Williams

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Tim Dann: Dear old John, God Bless…RIP….”Biggles” it said in the link above…I remember well entering the bar when it was on the second floor at PM…in a ‘Posse’ of Designers & Design assistants looking for mischief…. & John, leaning on the bar, giving it ‘rock all’ about the war & his time in ‘Fighters.’ & the Battle of Britain…..”Bloody hell!” cried one of our company rather uncharitably…”Not another one of the bloody ‘Few!!’….you buggers must have been eight to a Spitfire!”….John nearly swallowed his pipe, spilt his bitter down his front before collecting himself & raging at our raiding party about being lucky and what the ‘Few’ had sacrificed before stomping off in a haze of blue pipe smoke….No lasting damage done (save perhaps from the passive smoking of the era!)…just another example of the amazing relationship that we all had with each other during certainly my time at PM which was 73 – 79…….Off into the ‘wild blue yonder’ John…Give em hell!

Katie Cooper: ‘Such a lovely ‘wicked’ man…… Always a giggle…RIP’

Diane Reid: ‘He was the pilot for my first ever glider flight – he also taught me a thing or two about OBs – a real gent.’

Bev Dartnall’s Memorial – 17th June

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I’ve received the message below about Bev Dartnall’s Memorial Services, from Annie Gumbley-Williams)

As most of you will know that the lovely Beverley Dartnall passed away on 17th February this year and her funeral was in Majorca.  Her close friends are keen to have some form of celebration of Bev’s life.  The details, via Sarah Costigan, are as follows:

The celebration of Beverley Dartnall’s life will be held on TUESDAY 17th JUNE at:

Cartland Suite
Kings Heath Cricket and Sports Club
247 Alcester Road South
Kings Heath
Birmingham B14 6DT
0121 444 1913

Can those who would like attend please arrive at 2.15 and the proceedings will start at 2.30.  This is a celebration so no need for funeral dress. Please feel free to come in as colourful, smart casual clothes as you would like.

Anne Gumbley-Williams

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Jane Green: ‘I love this photo of Bev. I only knew her a little from when I was AFM on the odd drama, but she always made people smile, and was one of the great Pebble Mill characters. ‘

Janet Collins: ‘I worked with lovely Bev in the Planning Office at Pebble Mill, before she moved on to bigger things. I will certainly be attending the celebration of her life.’