Passed away at Belvedere Nursing Home, Chesterfield, Friday 7th February 2025, Aged 93.

In 1943 at the age of twelve, John joined the Training Ship Exmouth at Lydney in Gloucestershire where for the next three years he was taught seamanship with the expectation of joining the Royal Navy as a boy entrant.

During his time on the Training Ship, he joined the ship’s band as a trombone player and it was this that led him to apply to join the Royal Marines Band Service, which he did as a band boy in November 1946.

He spent a happy 2 years at Burford in the Cotswolds, where under the expert tutoring of instructors he became proficient enough on the trombone to join HMS Glasgow’s band in October 1948 for a 2-year commission in the West Indies.

Stationed in Bermuda for this period the ship visited both sides of South and North America as well as all the larger West Indies Islands. During this time the ship visited such Cities as......

Rio De Janeiro, Montevideo, Buenos Aries, Santiago and Lima in South America, and New York, Boston, Quebec, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and many of the New England Ports in the North. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and the ship returned to Portsmouth in October 1950.

After a short stay at the School of Music at Deal in Kent he was sent to join the Band of HMS Daedalus the Fleet Air Arm Headquarters at Lee on Solent. It was here that he was lucky enough to meet Irene who became his wife on Boxing Day 1953.

In January 1954 he was drafted to HMS Indefatigable as a Volunteer Band Instructor for 6 months, then drafted back To Deal. On completion of courses and promotion he was sent to join the band of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines in Malta where other than 10 months in Cyprus during the EOKA troubles he and Rene spent a happy three and a half years, the last 18 months of which he was in charge of the Maltese Navy band stationed at St Angelo.

On return to Deal he studied for 12 months in the Bandmasters class and was then promoted Bandmaster of the Band of HMS Lion. The ship served in the West Indies for the next 10 months visiting both North and South America on goodwill visits which included a lot of ceremonial work for the band such as playing at British Embassies as well as concerts for the local communities and “Beat Retreats” when the ship entertained local dignitaries.
On return to Deal he was employed as the Trombone Instructor to the young Junior Musician Trombone players, a job he found extremely rewarding. His last overseas commitment on promotion to Staff Bandmaster was as Bandmaster of the 3 Commando Brigade Band serving in Singapore. Rene and Alan, his then 5-year-old son, were with him for this enjoyable 2 years.

John’s last appointment in the Royal Marines Band Service was as Secretary to Lt. Colonel Paul Neville the Principal Director of Music Royal Marines. Following the birth of his second son, Mark, in 1970, he relocated to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Careers Service serving in the Careers Office in Sheffield recruiting volunteers who wished to join the Royal Navy or Royal Marines.

On promotion to Careers Officer in June 1974 he was transferred to the London Careers Office as Publicity Officer responsible for Royal Navy and Royal Marines staff visiting local schools to give talks about careers available in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, as well arranging visits by Display Teams and Bands to both schools and local events. After 3 years in that capacity he returned to Sheffield, responsible for recruiting in South Yorkshire. He finally retired from the Royal Marines in March 1986 having spent 43 years in uniform.

3 months later he was invited to run a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) on behalf of the Retail Motor Industry wherein his job was to place youngsters who wished to join the motor trade in garages in areas around Sheffield, Doncaster Barnsley, Chesterfield and Derby During the 10 years he did this job he managed to place nearly 1000 youngsters in garages, most of whom were offered employment on completion of their YTS. He was immensely proud of this achievement. He often met many of these youngsters after he retired, some of whom became managers of garages.

John was a keen sportsman; he represented the Royal Navy and Royal Marines at Cricket. He was also an enthusiastic Table Tennis and Squash Player. In later life he turned to Golf and was delighted to achieve a single figure handicap as a member of his local Golf Club

He spent his later years living in Dronfield, enjoying the occasional dance and game of bingo at Sheffield Norton House Country Club and catching up with the highs and lows of Arsenal FC on TV, of which he was a lifelong supporter.

He is survived by his wife, Irene and two sons Alan and Mark.