Obituaries

OBITUARIES

Ian Campbell - our former general secretary
Nina Smith - path defender
Kenneth Himsworth - national park guru
Brett Collier - Lincolnshire local correspondent
Brenda Swann - recorder of commons
Raymond Vernčde - our former deputy secretary
Gerald McGuire - friend of Open Spaces
Carol Johnson - our former chairman
John Jenkins - Essex campaigner
Maurice Mendoza - chairman, Common Land Forum

Ian Campbell (1931-2006)

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Our former general secretary, Ian Campbell, died on 17 August 2006 after a fall. He was aged 75.

His second wife, Moyra, has helped gather some memories of his life.

Ian was a modest man, not interested in appearances but passionate about principles. He had a prodigious memory and a loud voice with an unforgettable laugh. He loved walking, especially on high ground so it isn’t surprising that his favourite walk was the Seven Sisters cliffs on the Sussex coast.

Born in Bristol in 1931, he won a scholarship to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital School.

As a teenager he heard a speech by Aneurin Bevan about the future of Britain and the danger of nuclear weapons, and decided he wanted to be a Labour politician. He studied law at Bristol University and was called to the Bar in 1954. Later he joined the Labour Party as researcher in the international department. He stood as Labour candidate for Poole in the June 1970 parliamentary election, coming second to the Conservative.

In April 1962 he was appointed as the society’s deputy secretary (a newly-created post) and became secretary in June 1964 on Betty Searle’s retirement.

He put his legal training to good use for us. Two pieces of important legislation passed through parliament during that period: the Commons Registration Act 1965 and the Countryside Act 1968.

In a tribute to Ian in our journal, spring 1975, our then chairman, former MP Carol Johnson, said: ‘I can testify to the value of the detailed briefing and support he gave to interested parliamentarians. His work too in connection with relevant private bills has been outstanding. He also made a personal contribution to one of the society’s main interests as a member of the Gosling Committee on footpaths.’ This was set up by the government to advise it prior to the Countryside Act 1968—importantly, it rejected rationalisation of paths.

Ian’s A guide to the law of commons, following the 1965 act, was published in three editions, selling 25,000 copies, and now forms the basis of our commons bible, Our Common Land. He was also responsible for A practical guide to the law of footpaths and bridleways, the forerunner of our current ‘Blue Book’.

Vice-president

On leaving us in 1975 he was elected a vice-president, serving until 1998. He was head of legal services at Southwark Borough Council when he retired at 57; he took a first-class degree in history by home study, and then a master’s degree. These qualifications led to a part-time teaching post at South Thames College. At the time of his death he was still teaching history, for the University of the Third Age.

Kate Ashbrook adds: ‘I first met Ian in 1974 and he was tremendously kind to me, a 19-year-old keen to get involved in conservation. He gave me opportunities and introduced me to influential people—an excellent start to my career for which I shall always be grateful.’

Nina Smith (1928-2005)	top of page
	Nina Smith, with her husband Derek, was our local correspondent for the Vale of Glamorgan from 1999-2002 and was a tough defender of public paths and people's rights, often being the sole objector to path changes. Tragically, she died of liver cancer in November 2005, aged 76. Her son, Tony, wrote a tribute to her which was published in the Guardian, other lives, on 25 January 2006. (Click here to read the article)

Kenneth Himsworth (1912-2005)	top of page
Kenneth Himsworth, who died in August 2005 aged 93, was a key figure in the national parks movement. He was clerk of the former Westmorland County Council when the Lake District National Park was established in 1951 and, unusually for a local government officer, vehemently supported the creation of the park. He was appointed its chief officer and, when the park became independent of local government in 1974, he was appointed its first national park officer, retiring in 1978. He worked quietly and strenuously to defend the Lake District from ugly, overhead electricity lines, afforestation and water abstraction, and he achieved by-laws banning motorboats from lakes and tarns. He was a tireless hill-walker, and ascended Helvellyn at the age of 83. He was a member of the Open Spaces Society for 45 years and has left us a generous legacy.

Brett Collier (1920-2005)

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A courageous champion of our public rights of way, Brett Collier, died in March 2005 at the age of 84.

Brett was our local correspondent for Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North-East Lincolnshire for 17 years. His territory was vast, the problems numerous—yet he never tired of the task.

For years Lincolnshire was bandit country for walkers, with countless illegally blocked and cropped paths. Brett was prepared to stand up to the most irate farmer and the most intransigent local authority official or councillor. Procrasti-nation didn’t wash with Brett: with his meticulous filing-system he could dig out a case years later and send a sharp reminder to whoever should be acting.

Brett was also president of the Ramblers’ Association Lincolnshire Area, having held just about every office at area and group level, and joint secretary of the Lincolnshire Fieldpaths Society.

Foresight

In November 1987 he had the foresight to show Lincolnshire MP Edward Leigh the state of the paths near Market Rasen. Thus, when Mr Leigh came fifth in the ballot for private members’ bills two years later, he was willing to introduce a rights-of-way bill, which became the all-important Rights of Way Act 1990.

Born in Widnes in Cheshire, Brett joined the army just before the Second World War. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore in 1942 and survived an attempt to behead him when the Japanese officer lost face. He was sent to Japan and was underground when the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, trapping him there for several hours. He witnessed many horrific acts in Japan and, years later, returned there on a reconciliation mission.

After the war he trained as a teacher and from 1969 was a lecturer in education at Bishop Grosseteste College in Lincoln.

His energy was phenomenal. Even at the age of 84 he went swimming at (1920-2005) 6.30am four days a week (in his 83rd year he swam a total of 100 miles). He wrote numerous books of walks and was regularly featured on local radio.

Loved, respected, feared—Brett leaves a great chasm in Lincolnshire which it will be impossible to fill. It is fitting that his ashes were buried by the ramblers’ church at Walesby on the Viking Way—the route he pioneered 20 years ago.

Brenda Swann (1911-2004)

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Brenda Swann, who died in January 2004 aged 92, was a historian, socialist and trade unionist.

We owe it to Brenda that so many commons and greens are recorded as such and can be enjoyed by the public. She played a crucial part in ensuring that commons were registered, by individuals and in the name of the society, during the short period allowed by the 1965 Commons Registration Act. She was the research secretary of the Central Committee on Commons Registration. From spring 1966 she worked from the society’s office. She was formerly with the London School of Economics.

It is thanks to Brenda’s detailed research and persistence that so many commons and greens were registered—the society submitted 400 applications and the Ramblers’ Association 1,300. The society had won an amendment to the Commons Registration Bill to enable the public to submit applications. Brenda co-ordinated volunteers and three field- workers (including Alan Mattingly, later director of the Ramblers’ Association, who was then a geography student.. She kept a card index of every piece of land thought to be common or green.

Raymond Vernčde (1905-2003)

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Raymond with his wife Nancy. Photo: Radio Times.

Raymond Vernčde was a former deputy secretary of the society.

Raymond joined us from India in 1947 as assistant secretary, a new post. When Bill Williams succeeded Humphrey Baker as secretary in January 1952 Raymond became deputy.

During Raymond’s time with the society, paths had to be claimed for the new definitive maps, established by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, so there was feverish activity.

The note in our Journal of March 1955 which records that Raymond had left the society, says: Of a genial and energetic nature he was popular with all who came in touch with him, and his contact with the Ramblers’ Association was a most valuable asset to the society. It was, however, as hon secretary of the Central Rights of Way Committee since its inception in 1950 that he performed his most considerable service to the movement. Although not a lawyer, he amassed much specialist legal knowledge.

The preparation of the pamphlet Surveys and Maps of Public Rights of Way, which was adopted by the Ministry of Town and Country Planning as the official handbook on the survey, was (with the assistance of Humphrey Baker) largely his responsibility; and the giving of advice on the proof of public rights of way to ramblers and the smaller local authorities, and attendances at meetings and at local hearings, in connection with the survey, has been a task which he has fulfilled most successfully.

After leaving the society he took a job with Broadcast Relay Services (Overseas) Ltd. In 1957 he was appointed bursar of St Peter’s College, Oxford and worked there until his retirement in 1970.

Raymond made a great contribution to our society and its work.

Gerald McGuire (1918-2002)	top of page
Gerald McGuire, who died aged 83, was long associated with our society. He was a committee member from 1964 to 1982 and vice-chairman from 1971 to 1976. He served as vice-president from 1982 to 1998 and chaired our annual general meeting in 1990. Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, writes: When he joined our committee he had for many years been our local correspondent in North Yorkshire. Gerald was born in north London and loved the British countryside. He first visited the Lake District in 1936, staying in youth hostels and roaming the fells. During the war he was a conscientious objector and it was then that he first visited Malton in North Yorkshire, where he lived for 20 years, becoming secretary of the local region of the Youth Hostels Association. He became the YHA’s countryside officer, based in St Albans, but returned to Malton after his retirement, with his wife Peggy. In 1953 he was appointed to the first North York Moors National Park committee and remained there until 1972, serving again from 1985 to 1991. He was a Countryside Commissioner from 1976 to 1979 and we were all angry when the incoming Conservative government failed to reappoint him.	Photo: Yorkshire Evening Press
On the North York Moors committee Gerald was invaluable in arguing for access to open country, in the teeth of hostile grouse-moor owners. When the ‘moorland mafia’ pressed the committee to include in its park plan a policy which restricted access on heather moorland to a footpath system the gentle Gerald was uncharacteristically vociferous. The plan was dropped. I first met Gerald in 1975 at a meeting with the South West Water Authority who were considering reviving a reservoir scheme on Dartmoor. I recall with gratitude how kind and encouraging Gerald was to me. He was always ready to help young campaigners find their feet. Gerald held office in many amenity organisations, and was president of both the Council for National Parks and the Ramblers’ Association. We depended on wise advice, knowledge, inspiration and gentle humour.
Carol Johnson (1903-2000)	top of page
Carol Johnson, who was chairman of the society for a decade and held office with us for 34 years, died in his nineties. A solicitor, he was MP for South Lewisham (1959-74) and general secretary of the Labour party (1943-59). On election as an MP he became a member of our executive committee, vice-chairman in 1969 and vice-president (1980-94). The former general secretary of the society, the late Ian Campbell, wrote of him: Carol was a member of the committee on the Countryside Bill in 1968 where his successes included opposing an amendment to allow farmers to close a path for 28 days in the ploughing season. The same year, Carol helped win an amendment to the Transport Bill to give local authorities powers to use a compulsory purchase order to acquire compensation land for common land or open space appropriated for new roads. Carol’s great contribution to the society lay in his mastery of the complex and involved rules of parliamentary procedure.	Photo: Three Stars Press Agency
In the 1960s the Church of England presented a number of private bills to enable it to sell consecrated land for development. But churchyards were often the only local open space. Carol succeeded in getting an instruction to the committee on the St Mary’s Hornsey Bill to have regard to the availability of open space in the area and, as a result, a number of useful little urban parks came into being. In 1972, Dorset county Council made a compulsory purchase order for a road appropriating 20 acres of fuel allotments. The land was by then being used as de facto open space. Dorset declined to give exchange land and thus its order became subject to special parliamentary procedure. Carol secured an instruction that the committee was to take account of the land’s current use and not just its legal status. The committee refused to confirm the order until exchange land was given. While chairman of the society, Carol was keen to promote ‘self help’ in path maintenance. He repaired a stile on the Isle of Wight in 1973 at one of our conferences.
John Jenkins (1915-2001)	top of page
John Jenkins was a regular attender of our AGMs and a member of the society since 1940. His long-time friend Geoffrey Stevenson has supplied some information about him. John was born in 1915 and his early walks were in Epping Forest. When Geoff joined the Ramblers’ Association in 1955 John was secretary of the old Southern Area, which then stretched from Norfolk to the Isle of Wight. For many years John was the Ramblers’ footpath secretary for Essex working almost single-handedly, and he registered many commons in Essex in the late 1960s. John has generously left a legacy to the Open Spaces Society but perhaps his greatest legacy can be found on the footpaths and commons in Essex which, thanks to him, we can enjoy today.

Maurice Mendoza (1921-2000)

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Kate Ashbrook writes: My happiest memory of Maurice is sitting with him and Chris Hall on the sunny terrace of The Countryman’s office in Burford (Chris was the editor) on May Day 1986, to work out how we would reach agreement on the legislation package proposed by the Common Land Forum.

Maurice was happy because it was his 65^th birthday and he had just become eligible for his pension. Chris and I were happy because it looked as though we would get the Country Landowners’ Association to agree to a right of access on commons. We decided how to play it and then retired to the Bay Tree for lunch, wisely letting Maurice choose the wine.

Maurice had a distinguished career in the civil service, most notably as head of the directorate of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings from 1978, and he persuaded Michael Heseltine, environment secretary, to create English Heritage.

After his retirement, he was an inspired choice to chair the Common Land Forum, a gathering of all the disparate interests in common land. The government, never expecting the forum to reach agreement, undertook to consider legislating if it did.
Maurice was a genial, good humoured, tolerant but firm chairman and it was to his credit that the forum agreed a report. Unfortunately, when the CLA reneged,the government followed suit.

As chairman of the Friends of the Ridgeway from 1982 to 1994 Maurice helped to persuade unwilling parties that a traffic regulation order was necessary. Unfortunately the public inquiry inspector rejected it. Maurice was a member of our committee for a short time, before retiring in early 1995 due to illness.

He loved and was knowledgeable about all aspects of the countryside. His wife, Phyllis, has arranged a gathering of Maurice’s friends in March so that together we can remember his rich and varied life.


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