The loss of George Turner

Thomas Greenham

It is with great sadness that the Institute of Demolition Engineers informed us late yesterday that Thomas Greenham has passed away.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday, November 8th at 2pm. The location is as follows:

St. Mary's C of E Church
Church Lane,
High Street,
Streatley,
Berkshire RG8 9HU

The family have asked that instead of flowers they would appreciate donations to either Help for Heroes or the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

All of our thoughts are with Thomas' family during this difficult time.

Dave Ross funeral details announced

As we announced last week, sadly Dave Ross has passed away.

Further to that, we now have details regarding the funeral. It will take place on Wednesday, July 26th at 3pm. The location is Rotherham Crematorium, Ridgeway East Herringthorpe, Rotherham S65 3NN.

It has been requested that flowers only come from the family. If you'd like to make a contribution then a donation to Bluebell Woods Children's Hospice in Dave's memory has been suggested. This can either be done directly or through the funeral directors on the day.

Our thoughts remain with Dave's friends and family at this difficult time.

Dominic Ogden's funeral arrangements announced

The funeral arrangements for Dominic Ogden have been announced. We include the details courtesy of DSR Demolition below:

Dominic Richard Ogden - 1st January 1959 to 20th July 2015

The funeral will be held on Wednesday, 5th August 2015 (Family Flowers only please)

Donations to be made to the Intensive Therapy Unit, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, Calow, Chesterfield

2.15pm - Service at St John The Baptist C OF E Church, Church St, Dronfield, S18 1QB

Approximately 4.00pm - Wake to be held at Whirlowbrook Hall, Whirlowbrook Park, Ecclesall Road South, Sheffield, S11 9QD

Funeral Directors and Chapel of Rest - Alfred Dunham & Son Ltd, 56 Snape Hill Lane, Dronfield, S18 2HP
01246 413205 [24-hour service]
01246 290205

The Chapel of Rest is open one day from 11am to 5pm on Thursday 30th July

Tributes to Dominic to be in the Sheffield Star on Thursday 30th July

Many thanks from Dominic's family for the condolences received over the last week.

Former IDE President Robert Merrick and IDE Member Peter Lindsell have passed away

We are very sad to inform you that two former prominent members of the IDE have passed away this month.

Robert Merrick of Hughes and Salvidge was the IDE President serving between 1987 and 1988 and also the NFDC President during his career. His funeral will be held on the 3rd December at Romsey Abbey, Romsey SO51 8EN at 2:30pm.

Peter Lindsell, a long standing member of the IDE, passed away while on holiday in the Canary Islands. His funeral will be held on the 12th December at Wessex Vale Crematorium Hedge End at 2:30pm.

Source: IDE [1] [2]

Terry Jago 1941-2014

We are sad to have to report that Terry Jago or ARCA has passed away.

Terry's funeral is being helf at 11:30am on the 15th August. It will be at:

St Mary's Church,
Market Square,
Atherstone,
Warwickshire, CV9 1EX

If you would like to attend the funeral, please get in touch with Steve Sadley, ARCA Chief Executive at steve.sadley@arca.org.uk

Terry requested that no flowers be sent to the funeral and that any donations in lieu of flowers should be made to Birmingham Dogs Home. If you would like to send cards for his family, then please send them to this address:

25 Windmill Road,
Atherstone,
Warwickshire, CV9 1HP

Our thoughts are with Terry's family and friends at this difficult time.

Funeral arrangements for Richard Comley March 1957-June 2013

As you may already be aware Richard Comley, a prominent member of the Federation, NDTG and IDE, sadly passed away peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The funeral arrangements are given below. Please note that the funeral cremation will be for family members only, however, all are welcome to attend the service at 12:00 noon and refreshments. The family have requested no flowers. Donations would be gratefully received to Richards desired charity – Bright Research. During his treatment Richard held many Fundraising events and raised over £6,000 during the last 18 months.

Service of Thanksgiving for Richard’s life:
Thursday 20th June 2013, 12:00 noon
St Laurence Church, Elstead Road, Seale, Farnham Surrey GU10 1JA

Followed by refreshments at:
Farnham RUFC, Wilkinson Way, Monkton Lane, Farnham Surrey GU9 9ND

Collection at the funeral of John Woodward Snr goes to help Q E Hospital, Birmingham

The funeral of John Woodward Snr on 20th March was well attended by family, friends and demolition buddies, all of whom contributed towards the retiring collection in aid of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham where John Snr spent the last months of his life.

We are very pleased to report that the collection raised £700 in total that has been sent to the QE for use on the ward where John Snr was treated.

On behalf of my Mother and I, may I say a big Thank You to all, as this sum will be invaluable to the ward to help them continue the excellent care that they give to patients from the Midlands and returning Armed Forces personnel wounded in Afghanistan.

C&D Consultancy remains closed today

The office remains closed today as my Dad would have been 87 today and Mom and I are taking a few hours to do nothing but remember the good times we shared with him. The funeral yesterday was well attended and we certainly gave him a "good send off."

Readings were done during the service by my cousin Sue Huggins and by my wife Jill who read the following piece:-

Hello Everyone,

I am going to read a poem to you that John has written especially for his dad. The poem is inspired by W. H. Auden ‘s ‘Funeral Blues’ which some of you may recall was featured in the film ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’.
This is John’s version.

For You Dad….

Stop all the machines, and lock the office door,
The man who inspired me, is with us no more,
Silence the hammers, and the generator hum,
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let helicopters circle the site overhead,
Writing out the message, ‘My Dad Is Dead’,
Weeds will grow quickly in the garden that he loved,
So tell the gardeners to wear their black safety gloves.

All the seeds that he watered, plant out every one,
They will soon blossom, as he was the sun;
Pour away the fertiliser and sweep up the leaves,
And plant up the hanging baskets, before anyone grieves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
Everyone has a Father but mine was the best,
He was my inspiration - my mentor - my friend.
I thought that Dad would last for ever, but now it’s the end.

C&D Consultancy is closed today for the funeral of John Woodward Snr.

The office will be closed today whilst we attend the funeral of John Snr who will be cremated, after a Humanist service, at Gornal Wood Crematorium, Dudley at 15.30 followed by a few beers to celebrate his life at the Fountain Inn, Lower Gornal at 16.30.

John Snr would have been 87 tomorrow and his relatively long life was fairly typical of a man of that age. John left school at 14, as most people did in the 1930's, and became an apprentice fitter at Meadows Engineering in Wolverhampton where he learnt the engineering skills that he used throughout his working life.

He met my Mother Louise when he went to Lee Howl Pumps in Tipton to repair a machine and Mom was the receptionist, with whom Dad signed in and out every day. He obviously liked what he saw as Dad asked Mom to go to "the pictures" with him in Wolverhampton, a date that was, in the 1930's the equivalent of going to London on the train, on your own, at 14, as most people met their life partners within a few mile radius of where they lived. Mom had to also take a friend with her (my Grandad would not have allowed the date unless she did) and Dad brought a friend as well.

Neither Mom nor Dad could remember what the film was that they saw but it was the start of over 70 years of being together. At the time that Mom worked at Lee Howl she worked with a lady who would go on to be the wife of Harry Humphries (father of David Humphries who is one of C&D's clients).

Mom and Dad continued to see each other until at 18 Dad was called up into the Royal Engineers and sent to the Far East to fight the Japanese. As with the majority of the fighters who served in the Far East, Dad never talked much about "his war" but I am sure it was different as until the day he died he could not stand the smell of bananas and rice and left the table if anyone on it was eating either of the foods.

I asked him once why he didn't like them and Dad said "When all you have had to eat for over 6 months is banana and rice, with an occasional snake for meat, then you would be sick of it as well".

His armed forces service saw Dad go to Malta, then on through the Suez canal to India, into Burma and Rangoon, and then finally into Japan as one of the Allied Forces team who occupied Japan after the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dad has photos that he took after the bomb dropped (that are now in my safe keeping) that show the appalling devastation and loss of life in Hiroshima. All the time he was away he corresponded with Mom and when he returned with just a demob suit, a second pair of trousers and 5 shiilings to marry Mom.

When Dad returned from war he continued to work at Meadows (jobs were always kept open to servicemen in those days) until a long strike meant that he could not work and could not earn money so he left and went to work at The Gas Board where he stayed, having worked in many departments, until he retired at 60.

My Dad could be very stubborn (like me) and either liked someone or didn't. If he liked you then he would do anything for you, but if you crossed him in any way then that was the end of the friendship. His best strength as a Father was the fact that he gave me time and any job that he was doing would be put to one side if I needed or wanted his attention.

He was extremely proud when I became IDE President and always supported me, even when I made some poor decisions in life and business.

I will miss him every day, particularly when I am in the garden, as Dad loved his garden and spent every waking hour in it during Summer months.

Funeral arrangements for John Woodward Snr.

For those friends in demolition who asked about funeral arrangements for John's Dad we can advise as follows:

Funeral is confirmed for:

Wednesday 20th March

Timings:-

15.00 Cars leave 23 Glebefield Road, Tipton, Sandwell, DY4 0NZ
15.30 Gornal Wood Crematorium, Chase Road, Dudley, DY3 2RL It will be a Humanist service as Dad was, like John, a non believer.
16.30 Wake at Fountain Inn, 8 Temple Street, Lower Gornal, Dudley, DY3 2PE All are welcome to drink a pint of real ale and eat some food whilst we give thanks for John Snr's life. Please do not feel that you have to wear black on the day as John Snr loved colour in his life.

It is family flowers only but donations gratefully received via a collection on the day, or by cheque made payable to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and sent c/o A A Walters, 85 Dudley Road, Tipton, DY4 8ED Ref John Woodward

Phil Lowe funeral details

On Monday we conveyed the sad news that Phil Lowe, a veteran of the demolition industry, had passed away in hospital on Saturday afternoon.

We can now inform you that Phil's funeral will be held on Wednesday, April 4th at 10:30am in Bulwell, Nottingham. The service will be at Bulwell Cemetery followed by a short drive to the small cemetery near his home.

If anyone would like to attend they should let Dick Green know by email at richard@independentexplosives.com and he will forward details on to you.