John Hone - An appreciation

I am saddened to advise members of the death of our member, John Hone, who died on 22 September.

John was in every way a complete gentleman and a delightful person to know.  His interests were many and varied. I first got to know him and his charming wife, Joy, on Industrial Archaelogy trips with Edwin Course many years ago. 

At John's funeral I asked his daughter, Lucy, for a few biographical details to print in the newsletter. She sent me such an interesting piece that I have reproduced it, almost in full, with the help of Sheila our newsletter editor, and here it is.

Dad was born in Bristol on 16 the November 1925, the third of four children (all the others were girls). 

He attended St Pauls Choir School as a chorister, Bristol Grammar School for its 6th form and then went into the Navy in 1943 – just after his 18th Birthday -  and spent the next four years in the North Sea and in the Mediterranean.  During this time he decided he wanted to be a teacher and, on returning to civilian life in 1947, taught as a probationary teacher for a year at School Road School in Knowle (Bristol).  Having gained a place at University College Oxford he took this up in 1948 and read history. Mum and Dad married in October 1950 (having known each other since 1942) and then returned to Oxford with her to do a Diploma of Education. 

Joining  the Instructor Branch of the Navy in 1951, he became based all over the West and South and East of England with time abroad in 1960 – 62.  We moved to Gosport and that is when the moving around for the family stopped. He lectured at Greenwich for 3 years – 1963-6  and after that was attached to the distance learning unit at Victory/Nelson and HMS Dolphin.  He retired from Navy life in 1973 and immediately reprised his role, but in a civilian capacity, the week after!!!

 Throughout his life he was an avid and enthusiastic learner. He had a passion for books, for buildings, for things that no longer worked but that he could fix. He would show us children (4 of us – 3 girls and a boy) where history had left its mark on towns and we went to most castles at some point or another. We would go on holiday to North Wales and visit old mines and even went to the Ffestiniog Hydroelectric Dam just after it opened – and the railway and so many other interesting and odd places. 

He and Mum did love sharing the Industrial Archaeology and Mills Group work and Mum would always find something that really interested her in the proceedings and always came back with her own tales and observations.   

He has one bottle of the beer that was brewed at Southwick and has promised it to the pub owner – Greg – it is sitting in the fridge and is probably gone over and ruined now but it is still capped and labelled.

He was to sadly suffer from Dementia with Lewy Bodies and also Vascular Dementia and various other things but he never for one moment lost his manners nor his ability to dress and present himself immaculately.  It is such a shame he was so robbed of his full appreciation of all that he knew and had enjoyed but the fleeting moments of light in the last 6 months were often prompted by a trip through the photo albums and those from his the I.A. and Mills Group days were very much his favourites. 

It is unlikely that any of you realised that Dad was a wonderful pianist, painter and poet. He was also a member of the Spithead Antiques and Fine Arts Society.  He was deeply Christian in his beliefs and believed in being of good service. He worked as a volunteer in Victim Support and also taught English to the inmates of the Haslar Removal Centre – only ceasing his weekly hours there in 2009. One of his consultants asked him “When did you stop working?” and laughed when Dad said, in 2010, “last year”. I pointed out to this man that Dad had indeed carried on with many hours a week voluntary work and so whilst unpaid he had indeed been working. Dad had looked at this man with a very level stare. 

Dad suffered a massive stroke on 8th September and it became clear that there was no way back from its damage. He died peacefully without pain or fear in QA Hospital Portsmouth on the morning of 22nd September. 

 John was a member of the  "Heavy Gang" and well into his seventies,  I still remember him climbing up into the roof of the well at Beech to repair the rafters - a task I should not have liked to have tried.  We send our condolences to John's family and friends and wish them all well in the future. 

The world has lost a true gentleman and scholar.

Based on notes by Lucy Hone with opening and closing paragraphs by John Silman.

It saddens me to write a few words about another loss to the fraternity of millers of stone ground flour in the county of Hampshire. This time it is Jason Ellis, a member of a famous family with roots all over the South of England who suddenly died on 14 October. With help from Jason's brother, Richard, and information from Sheila (our newsletter editor) I am able to pay this tribute to Jason who was another real gentleman.

 Jason was born in August 1952 and after working at Dalgety's, following agricultural College, he joined the family firm in 1978 to learn the trade of milling from John Ellis, his father.

 In 1985 Jason was involved in a very serious car accident and was hospitalised for a year. When Jason returned to work, he and Richard delivered many items of animal feed to their huge number of customers. In 2001 Jason was appointed a director of the company J. Ellis & Son. Competition was fierce in the business of flour and animal feed and despite growth under Jason’s leadership, the company closed in 2008.

 Jason married Pauline and they went to live in her native West of Ireland, but retained a house in Petersfield.  Although he died in Ireland, Jason was brought back to Hampshire for a woodland burial at East Meon.

 A very likeable and popular character, befriending all he met, Richard described Jason as a countryman at heart and a peaceful man in life. We shall miss him and extend our condolences to Pauline, Richard and the Ellis family.

 Several of our members attended Jason’s funeral and HMG has received a very generous donation from the family.

 John Silman.