Obituaries
England together. He had always enjoyed walking and had a deep love of the English countryside. He was also an avid reader and developed a life-long interest in history. He was a sociable person; a good host with an endless supply of stories, and a subtle sense of humour. On retirement, he and Maureen moved to Yorkshire to be nearer John’s elderly father, settling in Melsonby, a small village in North Yorkshire, where they quickly became part of the community. He took on the role of churchwarden, where his capacity for organisation and unstinting hard work for others was much appreciated. Always a generous person, he supported many charities and local organisations, was a life- long ‘shoreline’ member of the RNLI and supported organisations protecting the countryside including the Woodland Trust and the Yorkshire Dales Trust. After the death of Maureen in December 1994, he ‘soldiered on’ as he would say, surviving a cancer operation and heart problems, whilst maintaining his community work and love of the Yorkshire countryside. He became friends with another cancer sufferer, also called Maureen, with whom he shared his enjoyment of walking, travel and history of the Borders country. In 2012-13 increasing disability due to the collapse of his spine restricted his walking, although he tried to disguise the full extent of the problem because he was never one to complain. Maureen died in spring 2013 and a second bereavement did not help. He seemed to rally in October 2013, when he stayed for a few days with his daughter in Northamptonshire to see her perform with Peterborough Opera, but in November his condition deteriorated and, after brief respite care in Richmond, he was admitted to hospital in Northallerton where they found cancer had returned and spread extensively. He died two days later and was buried next to his wife in Melsonby Cemetery. This obituary was contributed by John’s daughter, Diane.
selling newspapers, tobacco and sweets. The kiosk was so small that they could only work in there one at a time! Thanks to their grandfather, the kiosk led them to their first shop selling the same goods but in much greater quantities. They also had to organise the daily delivery of newspapers to the neighbourhood at dawn, seven days a week, by an army of schoolchildren, which required huge commitment and dedication by both brothers. In 1956, Michael was left to run the shop on his own as Brian did National Service for two years at the time of the Suez Crisis. He served in Iraq, during a conflict long before more recent military missions to the same country. Brian and Michael continued to run the Chiswick shop together until 1969, when Michael and his family moved to Blandford in Dorset to start a bookshop, and Brian and family toured Europe in a caravan for a few months before moving to Shaftesbury, also in Dorset, to set up another shop. Initially, Brian bought a small shop called Peaches in the high street and the family lived in the flat above the shop. Through incredible hard work, natural business acumen and an ever optimistic approach to life, Hardings of Shaftesbury flourished and expanded, becoming one of the main attractions of the town. The range of merchandise sold in the shop extended eventually to include books, art equipment, greetings cards, tobacco and toys. As the shop grew, so did his involvement in the town of Shaftesbury. The shop was a long-time member of the Chamber of Trade and Brian eventually became the chairman of the organisation and instigated the installation of the Town Flower Boxes to brighten up the high street. He was also the driving force behind the setting up of the Friends of Castle Hill House in the 1980s, and he worked tirelessly for the friends for 25 years. He was a member and one-time chairman of the Round Table, the Shaftesbury Charitable Trust, and a long-time member of the Shaston Garden Club. In March 1964, Brian married Jennifer. Two children, Peter and Susan, arrived before they left London, toured Europe in their caravan with the children in tow, and then reappeared in Shaftesbury. After a few years crammed in the flat above the shop in Shaftesbury, the family moved to nearby Semley, just across the county boundary in Wiltshire. Three more children, Sarah, Alison and Colin, followed. The move to Semley involved the complete reshaping of a derelict property called Semley Grange. Brian saw the potential of the site and transformed it into a wonderful family home with a large garden. Almost overnight, he became a keen gardener, providing him with a richly rewarding and fulfilling hobby for the rest of his life. He had vowed to retire from the shop in his mid-fifties in order to travel the world with Jennifer and he was true to his word. The family had moved back to Shaftesbury by then, with another big garden to transform. Holidays around the globe, cruises, interspersed with days with the family, hours of gardening, and membership of the Rushmore Golf Club all contributed to Brian’s happy retirement.
Brian Harding (1949-55) 20.11.1938 – 04.12.2014
Brian Harding was born at home at his parents’ house in Orpington and started his education at Crofton Primary School, also in Orpington, during
the Second World War where initially lessons were frequently interrupted by an air raid siren warning of approaching ‘doodlebugs’, resulting in a mad dash to the school air-raid shelters. At the end of his time at primary school, he moved on to Dulwich and his parents moved the family from Orpington to the Chiswick area. While at the College, he was in Spenser, and represented the school in his final year, playing 2nd XI Cricket and running the Steeplechase. After leaving Dulwich, Brian and his older brother Michael ran a small kiosk next to Chiswick station
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