My brother Derek sadly passed away on 25th July 2019 after a short battle with an aggressive form of liver cancer. He was 84 years old.
As a teenager Derek was in the 1st Widford Scouts and played the violin in the Technical College orchestra and the Essex Youth Orchestra where he was first violinist. Derek joined Marconi's in 1951 from the Mid Essex Technical School and became a Design Draughtsman, eventually becoming a Chartered Mechanical Engineer.
He completed his National Service in the RAF and worked in various places including Bentley Priory and The School of Land Air Warfare in Salisbury, some of his work was covered by the Official Secrets Act.
Derek left Chelmsford with his parents in 1961 to live in Tolleshunt Knights. Derek enjoyed motoring, music, photography, collecting coins and postcards, astronomy and bird watching. Later in 1979 Derek and his parents returned to live in Broomfield. Derek retired aged 60 years in 1995 and looked after his parents as they became more frail, and passed away.
Derek had to give up motoring in 2008 as he had operations for glaucoma and macular degeneration which were unsuccessful; so, he took to riding his bike again, and when his eyesight deteriorated further, he walked everywhere, even the 6 mile round trip to Chelmsford to visit the Dentist. He was unable to attend the annual dinners of the Veterans Association for this reason he did not want to bother anyone. Until 2018 he continued to live at Broomfield, but moved to sheltered accommodation in Wendover to be near his sister Marion, for what was to be the last year of his life.