Harry and I first met when he joined PROBUS in 1997.\u00a0 Club meetings were then held in Sett Valley House.\u00a0 With a meeting over we formed the habit of making a joint, slow, cautious\u00a0\u00a0 slither down to Market Street.\u00a0 Here we enjoyed a good chinwag outside Age Concern.\u00a0 This seemed an appropriate location.<\/p>\n
Over time I learned that Harry had been the only child of a working class family, in Hurst Lea Road, New Mills.\u00a0 After leaving school, he had become an apprentice in a New Mills printers.\u00a0 Because an apprentice\u2019s pay was poor, and journeys to night school to Manchester comparatively costly, and his father suddenly dying, Harry found himself to be a youthful breadwinner.\u00a0 (Teenagers had yet to be invented).\u00a0 Harry needed to find a better paying job, he became an assistant in a thriving radio shop in Union Road and virtually turned himself into a\u00a0 competent radio technician.\u00a0 He also worked, to\u00a0\u00a0 supplement\u00a0\u00a0 income, as an \u00a0assistant projectionist at the cinema in Union Road.<\/p>\n
Before war broke out, the RAF somehow nabbed Harry because of his apparently known skills.\u00a0 Harry served as a \u2018Brylcreem\u2019 boy for nearly six years.\u00a0 Sometimes, possibly on request, Harry would open up on some of his wartime experiences.\u00a0 I\u00a0 outline two.\u00a0 The first relates to fate.\u00a0 In his early RAF days Harry was sent home on two weeks sick leave, he had jaundice.\u00a0 On his return to duties at his station, he found no-one there.\u00a0 He later discovered that his detatchment had suddenly been called to a troop ship which had been sunk at sea with very few survivors.\u00a0 In 1944 Harry landed in France on D-Day but (in Eric Morecambe terms) his unit was tersely told \u2013 \u2018you are in the right radio van but on the wrong beach!\u2019 \u00a0 \u00a0Incidentally, Harrys travels with the RAF brought him to Denmark \u2013 homeland of his sweetheart.<\/p>\n
The longer I knew Harry the more I came to admire him.\u00a0 For\u00a0 example, he showed so much determination and applied so much failing strength to keep the Radio Society of Stockport in healthy condition.\u00a0 He served as President for several years I believe.\u00a0 Harry was a man with a great and continuous thirst \u2013 not for alcohol, not for wealth or possessions, not even for football \u2013 but knowledge about all things radio related and aviation related, a spot of \u00a0chemistry too and some foreign languages, as well as aspects of WW11.<\/p>\n
In a different age or in different circumstances, he would have made an excellent university\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 student.\u00a0 His closest friend Eric Webster, held a PhD being an industrial chemist in a local textile factory.\u00a0 Sadly, Eric\u2019s widow, Alice, is not well enough to \u00a0describe Harry more fully than we can.\u00a0 On short acquaintance Harry might be thought to be rather too quiet, \u00a0inoffensive \u2013 perhaps a semi-recluse.\u00a0 But on the PROBUS members\u2019 list his \u2018occupation\u2019 is given as \u2018Air Traffic\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Controller\u2019.\u00a0 This job irrefutably calls for cool, calm, collected qualities, high capabilities and performance as his colleagues at AVRO would know.<\/p>\n
Although much of his home life had been solitary.\u00a0 I never heard him say he was\u00a0\u00a0 lonely.\u00a0 He remained self-reliant as long as he reasonably could and then\u00a0 graciously gave way to those who wished to provide help like Alice in\u00a0 particular, Joan, Sue, Anna, Bob, Anne, Trevor, Roy, Adam the bookman and his Aladdins cave, and\u00a0 myself.\u00a0 Medical staff also helped greatly, as did social services.<\/p>\n
Courtesy to others seemed a natural part of Harrys being.\u00a0 When PROBUS moved to the Golf Club House, and I could still drive, I waited for him at the Rock Inn.\u00a0 If he was just a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 minute late he would almost overdo his unsought apology.\u00a0 Harry looked forward to PROBUS meetings and the Christmas and summer lunches.\u00a0 He\u00a0 remained calm and\u00a0 courteous when he was teased on\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 entering a\u00a0 dining room with a lady on each arm.\u00a0 He also enjoyed trips out to \u201cThe Lamb\u201d, \u201cThe Pack Horse\u201d. \u201cThe Sportsman\u201d, \u201cThe Bridge\u201d, a J20\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 grapefruit juice suited him just fine, as did his telling of an exciting find in one of his books.\u00a0 Even in his 90s he would become almost as excited as a schoolboy about say, secret codes, the\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 vagaries of the Danish language \u2013 and the curious chemicals that were slogging it out in his body.<\/p>\n
Harry you were certainly a man to admire, to esteem and to acknowledge as a rare self made scholar, a man like by many, and disliked, as far as I know, by no-one.<\/p>\n
Eulogy supplied by Eric Armstong\u00a0 –\u00a0 17 August 2014<\/b><\/p>\n
The following announcement was made to members of Stockport Radio Society by Alan G0ROW<\/strong><\/p>\n “It’s very sad to announce to the world that our President Harry Arnfield G3LX died this\u00a0 morning, Sunday 10 August 2014.\u00a0 Our\u00a0thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad and difficult time<\/p>\n The funeral took place on Thursday\u00a0 21st August at St Georges Church, Church Road New Mills.\u00a0Tony M0SAV, Alan G0ROW\u00a0 (who had worked closely with Harry prior to his passing) and John 2E0GCX paid their respects at the funeral on behalf of the club.<\/p>\n Harry Arnfield G3LX\u00a0 –\u00a0 A great loss to the Society.<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Harry has been the president of the society for more years than we, and he, cared to remember. Whilst relatively inactive from a radio point of view – and being well into his 90s – Harry continued to support the society and it\u2019s activities albeit from afar.\u00a0 For many years, members had benefited from Harry\u2019s wealth of knowledge regarding all things radio, as well as being entertained by stories of his times in the RAF and working for Hawker Siddeley at Woodford\u00a0 Aerodrome… thank you Harry. (piece from the next issue of SRS QUALite)<\/p>\n \u00a0Messages of Respect\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ray \u2013 M1REK<\/b> – Very sad news. Harry was an inspiration to many of us. He always had time to listen and encourage us to try new things.<\/p>\n Stuart \u2013 G3PMJ<\/b> – I was very saddened to hear of the passing of our President, Harry G3LX.\u00a0 He was a really fine gentleman and will be missed by all.\u00a0 RIP Harry.<\/p>\n Marie \u2013 2E0MLK<\/b> – So sorry to hear this.\u00a0 My sympathies to all, thinking of his family at this sad time.<\/p>\n Nigel 2E0CKA\/Heth Web Manager<\/b> – Although we did not have the pleasure of meeting Harry \u2013 he seemed to be a fine gentleman and an inspiration to many with lots of stories to be told \u2013 his passing will be a tremendous loss to the club<\/p>\n Mike \u2013 M6MPC<\/b> – Poor Harry, This is so very sad for his family and our club.\u00a0 \u00a0My deepest sympathy.<\/p>\n Ed \u2013 2E0CFM<\/b> – Sad news, indeed.<\/p>\n Tom \u2013 M0DCG<\/b> – Such sad news.\u00a0 It was a privilege to know Harry. We’ll all miss him.<\/p>\n Christine \u2013 M0LYC<\/b> – Extremely sad news, Al. I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times, and giving him a lift home after an annual SRS meeting some years back; he was full of stories \ud83d\ude42 Such a lovely chap.\u00a0 Please pass on my condolences to his family.<\/p>\n Tony Blackburne<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>RIP Harry a really nice gentleman who I had the pleasure of meeting at the club several times and talking to<\/p>\n Christine Simcock<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b>Very sorry to hear this, I have fond memories of Harry, it was always a pleasure to spend time with him. Condolences to his family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Bernard\u00a0 – G3SHF<\/b> – He certainly was a well respected member of SRS who provided us with a great many links to our past in so many fields.<\/p>\n