Parish of Mickleham - News of Friends Past and Present

John Cornell Bryan Henry Jennifer Hudlass Barbara Steadman-Allen
Robin and Anne Vaughan Brian Whinney Edith Young

The Very Reverend Bryan Henry
[from July August 2003 magazine] Bryan Henry died last month after a long period of illness. His funeral service was held on 14th May at All Saints Church, Pen-y-fai just outside Bridgend in South Wales.

Bryan and his wife Chris have been frequent visitors to Mickleham. Some of you will remember the occasions that Bryan has taken services and preached in St Michael's Church. Others will remember Bryan's equally frequent visits to The Running Horses and his endless stories particularly of his time with the RAF.

Bryan was born in 1930 in Port Talbot. He was educated at Hereford Cathedral School, Lampeter and St. Michael's College, Llandaff. He was ordained in 1953 and spent the first part of his ministry in South Wales. In 1962 he joined the RAF as a Chaplain and spent nearly twenty years with the RAF finishing his time as Wing Commander and Senior Chaplain at Cranwell and finally Rheindalen in Germany. In 1981 Bryan left the RAF and was appointed Archdeacon in Cyprus and Secretary to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf.

In 1990 he returned to South Wales as Assistant General Secretary to the Church in Wales. Bryan retired in 1995 but still kept busy covering two interregnums at his local church and becoming something of an after dinner speaker.

Bryan was a man of many talents but above all he was a man of God and the most remarkable preacher. Some of you may remember one Christmas Day in St. Michael's Church when much to the surprise of organist and congregation alike we wound up joining the children in singing Happy Birthday Jesus. I remember Bill Fuller was so moved by this he wrote to the Dorking Advertiser describing a wonderful Christmas Day service. Chris Henry still keeps a copy of that letter.

Bryan was a special friend who always seemed to be around when we needed him. Soon after we first met in Cyprus Bryan baptised our son Steven in St Paul's Cathedral Nicosia. Many years later when he was staying with us at Christmas he helped us cope with the sudden death of my father-in-law George and took the funeral service in St. Michael's.
A wonderful man. We will miss him.
John Banfield

Jennifer Hudlass
[from July August 2003 magazine]
We work together to enrich the lives we touch
Eighteen years ago almost to the day I sat nervously in the study of Mickleham Rectory, alongside two other candidates, waiting to be interviewed for the post of headteacher.

I had first become acquainted with Mickleham and its school the previous year, when I was offered an part-time job, teaching alongside the head, Gwyneth Anderson. Gwyneth was a great advocate for children's education and I spent a happy year as her teaching partner. Gwyneth had great visions for education, and when she decided to retire in the summer of 1985, she worked hard convincing me that I should `fill her headship shoes'. The rest is history.

During 18 years I have worked with:
5 secretaries
3 admin officers
endured 2 OFSTED inspections
written close on 200 parish magazine articles
attended over 100 formal governors' meetings.
And taught - I have lost count - countless numbers of children!

I have been extremely privileged to have been part of the continuing development of St Michael's CE(A) First School over this period, but the buck does not stop with me. I have been fortunate to have worked with some truly professional people, whose loyalties have been 100% to me and the children of St Michael's.

I inherited a successful school from Gwyneth Anderson; she was happy to trust me with her `baby'. As I move onto other educational ventures, I leave knowing that I entrust `my baby' to acting head Anne Hosack. I can guarantee that, like me, she will have a great time watching it mature and grow.
Jennifer Hudlass

Jenny Hudlass will be giving up the post of headteacher at St Michael's School at the end of the summer term after 18 inspirational years. The school community - children, staff and governors - owe her an enormous debt for creating and maintaining a special place where generations of children have received the best possible start to their school career.

I was one of those who appointed Jenny as Head after she had spent one year as a part-time teacher. I think we made the right decision!
Thank you, Jenny, for all you have done and best wishes for the future.
Ben Tatham - Chairman of the Governors

Robin and Anne Vaughan write... [from July August 2003 magazine] With much regret and after eight wonderful years we shall be retiring from Rose's Stores by the end of the year. We would like to thank all the residents of Mickleham and Westhumble who have supported us during our stay here. We hope everyone will continue to shop at Rose's Stores and use the post office. If anyone wants to try their hand at running a village shop you know where to find us...

Brian Whinney
Many friends and relatives attended a service of thanksgiving for the long life of Brian Whinney on 26th August 2003.

It was very fitting that the service was held in Mickleham as Brian had had a long association with St Michael's. He lived in Mulberry Cottage, Westhumble in his teenage years and early twenties, and then more recently, returned to live at Halings - only a long stone's throw away over the railway line from that original home. And once again, St Michael's was his parish church although he attended services more frequently at the Westhumble Chapel. Brian's son Martin paid tribute to an exceedingly full life; limited space allows only for inclusion of the following extracts:

"After schooldays at Charterhouse Brian had hoped to join the Navy but family circumstances dictated that he enter the City, at an early age, into his uncle's stockjobbing firm. He passed the great majority of his working life in the Stock Exchange, primarily as a broker. Indeed, he spent in total 42 years there, only retiring when in his early seventies. An ex-colleague wrote of how he personified 'kindness and competence seldom met with today'; others spoke of his great support to them, levelheadedness and total reliability.

As a young man, Brian participated in many sports some of which he continued with for years. He was always a lover of the natural world - passionate and knowledgeable in particular about birds. He was a keen gardener and with his wife Billie developed and created several lovely gardens in their homes. However, his main love was sailing and he became an accomplished dinghy sailor; the sea was in his blood from early on. He joined the Royal Naval Supplementary Reserves and when called up he joined the RNVR as a lieutenant, He served in a range of vessels, crossing the Atlantic a number of times in landing craft and in 1940 spent some time in Bermuda, where he met Billie.

In September 1942. Brian was mentioned in despatches following an incident involving the recovery with others of an unexploded bomb from the hold of the ship in which they were sailing. He was also later decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross for his part in the D-Day Overlord Invasion, in which he was a Principal Beach Master on the Gold Beach. The citation read 'for gallantry, skill and undaunted devotion to duty shown during the landing of Allied Forces'. He landed in the early hours on the day, of invasion and subsequently spent six weeks on the Normandy beaches, helping to construct Mulberry Harbour. He wrote a report at the time and in later years wrote and published a short but fascinating account of the action he saw that first day. His beach landing craft was lowered from the side of the SS Empire Arquebus, which made the cross-Channel passage, and he describes how 'we dined in the dining saloon, waited on by stewards in (white) uniform who offered menus. This was slightly unexpected, especially when it was repeated for our early morning breakfast on D-Day'. Of the whole experience of the invasion, he wrote "it was a privilege to take part".

Brian was a practical man, never happier than working with his hands. He was a great DIY enthusiast and a perfectionist in all he did. In the last couple of decades he acquired a lathe and took to wood-turning, producing many articles such as bowls, cups and chalices, lamp-stands and pot-holders in oak, tulip and rose woods mostly as gifts for others. There is a pair of his candlesticks in the Norbury Chapel at St Michael's Church.

The last few months for Brian were deeply uncomfortable for him but he seldom complained, asking rather how all the family were, and enduring his discomforts with fortitude. He was an honourable, god-fearing and moral person - truly a gentle man. May he rest now in peace."

Martin referred also to his parents' love and devotion to one another over more than 60 years and to the loving home in which he and his sister, Sarah, were brought up. We send our love and deepest sympathy to Billie, Martin, Sarah and their families.

Edith Young
We are sad to record the death of Edith Young on 5th September 2003, aged 94.

Edith was born in Huntingdonshire, where her father was working as a butler, and in 1936 she married Bob Young who came from Lincolnshire. Three years later they moved to Mickleham Downs where Bob was employed as Head Gardener on Lord Beaverbrook's Cherkley estate; he later became Estate Manager. They had three children - Margaret. John and Angela.

During her 40 years in Mickleham Edith was active in many local activities. She joined the Womans Institute in 1945 and was also a member of the Mothers Union and Mickleham Choral Society. After Bob's death in 1965 Edith stayed on at Mickleham Downs until she moved to Dorking in 1979. There she kept active by becoming a member of Age Concern and continued to follow Mickleham events through the parish magazine. She enjoyed doing our crossword each month as well. Edith was devoted to her family and was a much loved mother and grandmother. She was always interested in what was going on, and managed to look on the bright side and have a little chuckle about most things. At her funeral we sang Joy to the world because 'she sang it every day'.
We send our sympathy to Margaret, Mark and all the rest of Edith's family.