I first met John at the Harrow District Land Registry, indeed, for a number of years I actually sat right opposite him. He was very conscientious in terms of the meticulousness with which he approached his work (I know because I checked that work!). An endearing characteristic of his was that, while technically very proficient, he was very self-effacing about his capabilities, very much "hiding his light under a bushel" as it were. Although some may have misinterpreted this habit as a sign of lack of confidence, I believe that it was more likely to have been an indication of his natural modesty. Another example of John's "meticulousness"  was the utterly pristine and generally ordered fashion in which he maintained his desktop and its contents with "a place for everything and everything in its place".

More important than his technical capabilities however was John's moral outlook towards his colleagues. In an office working environment where (I'm sad to say) office gossip and "back-stabbing" were all too rife, John never had a bad word to say about anyone (even when they perhaps deserved it!). In fact, from time to time, John would gently chide those of us (myself included!) who did yield to the temptation to make uncharitable remarks of this sort, pointing out that our behaviour was "out of order". There is a certain irony here for, more than once, John himself, was subjected to this kind of mistreatment by certain colleagues (including some of his so-called superiors!) but despite such instances of provocation, John always succeeded in "turning the other cheek" and this reaction (or perhaps lack of reaction?) was, I think, just one reflection of his essentially morally Christian outlook. He evidently held quite strong convictions about the rights or wrongs of various issues but never forced those views upon others.

Although far from being an extrovert, John was nevertheless very popular at the Registry with his old-fashioned politeness, combined with a generally genial and easygoing manner. More than once during his time at the Registry (and indeed as recently as a few weeks ago) I heard the word "gentle" used in connection with John. On reflection, I would suggest that he might, in fact, be succinctly summed up as being both a "gentleman" and a "gentle man"!

Following the Registry's closure in 2010, I remained in contact with John and have many happy memories of time spent at his maisonette, perhaps involved in an intense,"intellectual", discussion regarding the relative merits of various episodes of the 'Dad's Army' TV series or maybe the films and "shorts" of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

At various times, I also enjoyed John's companionship on walking expeditions, be they treks through the local parks, fields or woods - or just a short stroll down the road to the local "chippy"! On the subject of walks, in recent years, John was actually in the process of walking, stage by stage, the complete "London Loop" (a 150 mile long walking route encircling Greater London). He had in fact completed more than half of it. On 31st October 2019, I accompanied him on the last stretch of the Loop which he was ever to cover (between Harefield and Moor Park) and we were both looking forward to following the next portion together in due course. Alas! - That was never to be!

Sometime in the not too distant future, I intend to walk that next stretch of the London Loop in memory of John - and if he cannot be with me in person on that walk, he will nevertheless be very much on my mind while I'm doing it!

Frank