Bob Bampton

Bob Bampton was born in Eton in September 1917, one of a family of 10 children. He attended Eton Porny School until the age of 11 when he won a scholarship to Slough Grammar School. Bob was one of three boys to win a scholarship from Eton Porny that year and the school gave an extra half days’ holiday to celebrate.

When World War II broke out he volunteered for active service and joined the Royal Armoured Corps, serving firstly in Bovington, then North Africa and finally in Italy, a country that he grew to love. When he was demobbed he had attained the rank of Captain and considered himself fortunate that he was not wounded or disabled in any way during active service.

There followed 43 years in the Civil Service during which time he did not take a day’s sick leave. He was on the team in London that formed the Ministry of National Insurance which later became the DSS.

He was promoted several times during his career and consequently moved house a number of times. One move led him to Birmingham where he met his wife. They were married in September 1950 and were still living there when Barbara was born in 1952. Barbara and her father were extremely close. He thought there was no one like her and even when she was an adult he still treated her as though she were 12.

Bob and his family left Birmingham in 1957 to move to Chesterfield, where they lived for 8 years. It was a very happy time for him. He loved Derbyshire, especially Monsal Dale and used to enjoy going swimming at the Matlock Lido near his home. On the way back, egged on by Barbara and her friends, he would often turn his car engine off and freewheel down the steep hills between Matlock and home.

After leaving Chesterfield in 1964, he spent 18 years in Manchester. He continued to do well at work and occasionally would go to watch cricket at Old Trafford, football at Manchester United – this was in the days of Best, Law and Charlton! - and to Sale to watch rugby. By his retirement in 1978, at the age of 61, he was in charge of about 1,500 staff. He concentrated on his hobbies for a year, gardening, walking, reading, cooking and wine making and then a friend of his told him that there was a vacancy for a bursar at a girls’ private school in Wilmslow not far from where he lived. Bob applied for the post and was successful and for three years he was very happy working there. About this time, Barbara started working in Walton on Thames and he and Vera decided to move back to Bob’s roots. They moved to Ascot in 1983 and it was there that Bob became a regular church goer at All Saints. He liked being a member of the church family and was the Recorder for several years and one of the sidesmen and he became friendly with a number of members of the church.

In July 1995, he suffered a severe stroke and after a few weeks in Heatherwood Hospital was moved to Upton. In October 1995 he was transferred to St David’s Nursing Home in Ascot Priory where he spent the remainder of his life. He was unable to walk and was wheelchair bound but his memory was remarkably clear.

Father Piers and his team were lovingly supportive and the Matron, nursing staff and carers did their utmost to make Bob’s life comfortable. He was able to go home for birthdays, Christmas and Easter and spent holidays at a John Grooms hotel in South Wales.

Several men from church, particularly David Mason, visited Bob at St David’s and between them put the world to rights.

Bob was particularly close to his sister Lily and her husband Eric and was fond of his sisters in law, nieces, nephews and their families.

Just after Easter 2002, Bob developed a painful infection in his right foot. Despite every effort from his doctor, nurses and carers, he developed gangrene and quickly became bed ridden. He continued to receive spiritual support from Father Anthony and his team. Bob died at about 10.30pm on Sunday 9 June in St David’s.

He will be greatly missed. He was a loving caring father who would gladly have given his right arm for his daughter and he regarded his marriage to Vera as the best thing that ever happened to him.

An Appreciation by Fr Piers

When I came to All Saints’, Bob was not one of the first people who made himself known to me, because that was not his way. However, I gradually came to discover him, because, week after week, he would be there in the vestry after the service, helping to sort out the collection.

His was an unobtrusive but important role in the Church—that of Recorder, keeping track of pledged giving. You don’t want someone for that job who will make a lot of noise about it; people might be afraid, in that case, that their confidential pledges might become known. Bob just got on with it, and stayed in the background.

It was a great blow for him, and one which he took very hard, when he was severely disabled by a stroke in July 1995. He continued to be—or to appear—optimistic; and, although medical opinion was that little or no recovery was possible, he professed never to lose hope that he would walk again.

I very occasionally saw him in a rather cross frame of mind— usually when things were particularly unbearable; but mostly, he displayed great patience and fortitude in bearing his illness. Mentally, he remained alert and aware: an assiduous reader of The Times, he would comment acutely on current events. On a good day, he would chat with other residents at Saint David’s, and with the staff, and with visitors; and he generally enjoyed anything which maintained an atmosphere of normality in his life.

Outings were quite an undertaking; but when one was possible— whether it was a holiday in South Wales, a day at home for Christmas, or a Lent Lunch in the Parish—it was a real event for him, and gave him a lift.

It was a privilege to know him and to minister to him; and he taught me much about the Christian virtues of humility and patience.

May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.

Fr Piers