D.E.N.B Jones OH 1949-1956
Wednesday 03 April 2024
We are sad to announce the death recently of David. He was a staunch supporter of the OH Club and will be known to many who attended various alumni events.The funeral will take place at Hereford Cathedral Lady Chapel on Wednesday 15th May at 2.00pm
David was quite a character around Hereford: many people were acquainted with him and recognized him. In fact, he told me once that any visit to the city took four times as long as his errand required because so many people stopped to talk to him. David – affectionately known to many of us as Denb, - was clearly intending a write an autobiography but died before it happened. Thankfully we have an outline of his life and we will each be able to insert our own memories into the story. He was born on New Year’s Day 1938 at Southend-on-Sea with what he refers to as a ‘drama’ though sadly we do not know what! How did a Welshman come to be born in Southend? In 1927 his father had begun a career in Barclays Bank and he was posted to Grays in Essex where he met his wife and married in 1936. The newly-weds lived in Thundersley, a village about 6 miles from Southend. The family though were Welsh, Welsh speaking and proud of it. David’s very names are part of that Welsh tradition: David had long been a family name and of course, a tradition in Wales. Edward was given to commemorate two of his uncles, Norman was his Godfather’s Christian name and Bliss his Grandmother Jones’ maiden name. Four names was a bit too long for everyday use, hence most of us knew him as Denb! Later in 1938 the family moved to Hereford: first to Hay-on-Wye and then to the city of Hereford. Denb attended Tupsley School where it became obvious that he was academically able and he won a scholarship to the Cathedral School in 1948. He loved the school, and was proud of his scholarship and his achievements. He mentions how great the masters were – especially those who taught Classics, Rugby and Rowing! He made the First XV and the Rowing Team. There was a break in his education while he did National Service in the Army R.A.C; R.A.E.C; R.A.S.C. Sadly Denb was wounded and lost an eye. In spite of injuries, he studied for a year before taking the examination for Cambridge University. Again, he was so proud of his scholarship and went up to Selwyn to read Classics with a view to teaching. His first post was at King’s School Worcester before he returned to Hereford to teach in the Junior Department of the Cathedral School. He then moved into the State sector and taught there until 1989. During that time, he found the time and the opportunity to marry Brenda in 1972. He suffered a great deal of ill health which caused him to retire early, though Brenda and he still managed interesting holidays and many other enjoyments. I know how much he valued belonging to the Police Choir and the Greek Reading Group. Sadly, Brenda died in 2012 and he had the wonderful memories to contemplate: memories of Christmases, holidays and of course the children who had been fortunate enough to be taught by him. He met Christine in 2014 and they had some good times together, but by then Denb was not very well and not able to enjoy the world as he had done. So what of Denb, the man? He was passionate about helping children and young people to fulfil their potential. His own pride in the scholarships he won speak volumes: his family were not well off and such education would have been difficult for his family to finance: fortunately, there were the scholarships. He loved his serving duties in the Cathedral – and did them with dignity and respect; he enjoyed singing and he enjoyed being able to continue to learn – he would have said, ‘while we learn our minds remain open to new ideas’. He could be slightly difficult to deal with but he was kind and generous and a man we shall not easily forget. Canon Dr Maureen Palmer