Tributes paid to former councillor John Wall who died at 92

Dr John Wall, a former member of Whitchurch Town Council and Hampshire County Council, died on October 10, aged 92.

Ahead of his funeral, which will take place at 2.30pm on Friday, November 15, in All Hallows church, Whitchurch, his daughter, Kate Rogers, has paid tribute.

She said that he was "very active in the community right up until the age of 92."

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John Wall and Paula Baker campaigning in Overton (Image: Kate Rogers)

She added: "He worked incredibly hard for the community - he lived in Whitchurch for more than 30 years and was tireless in his efforts to help.

"Given he was 92 when he died, many people he worked with have also died, but I have been really struck by how many people still remember him, and who have shared lovely remarks about the difference he made.

"He said at the time of Mum's death 'the reason both of us have been involved in local service of this nature is because we both were fruits of the Education Act of 1944, and through this were able to go to university. We have always felt we wanted to put something back.'

"For the next 15 years, he continued to be dedicated to serving the local community, most latterly as a member of Whitchurch Town Council, until finally retiring a couple of years ago due to his increasing frailty. He was also a great Dad and Grandpa, and leaves four grown up grandchildren."

John was born in 1932 in Harrow and moved to Cookham during the War. He won a scholarship to a grammar school, which led him to university, gaining a degree in chemistry, followed by a PhD.

He met his wife, Alison, in Northampton, in 1958 - at a meeting of the Young Liberals, where they both shared a strong appetite to make a difference and to work to improve people’s lives.  

Kate explained that John’s science led him to become a "pioneer in the science and manufacture of silicon, the essential ingredient to enable the beginnings of the electronics revolution.  

"His career took him and Alison from Northampton to Wrexham in North Wales, then with a young family to Ghent in Belgium, next to run a large electronics manufacturing operation in Malaysia, before finally returning to set up an electronics business in Whitchurch in Hampshire -Silicon Valley Group Europe."

John’s active political life began in North Wales, when he was elected as a Liberal Councillor to Wrexham Borough Council.

His job move overseas interrupted his contributions to his community in the UK, but the seed was still there, and when he returned from Malaysia he picked this up again.

He campaigned for, and won, a seat on Hampshire County Council in 1993.

Kate said: "As his daughter, I could see how very committed he was to campaigning to make life in his community better, whether that were to improve schools, housing, protect nature, or help people raise funds for local facilities.

"A recent example of this is the hard work he and other put into raising funds for new church rooms at All Hallows, Whitchurch -successfully completed in the last few years - these rooms have made such a difference to the church community.

"His fundamental value was to give back.

"My overriding memories of Dad are that he was committed passionately to helping, to giving back, for causes that he believed were about making life better, for fairness, and simply making a difference in his community."

His funeral will be held on Friday, November 15, and all are welcome to attend.