training, after which he was appointed a Director of Everards Brewery Limited. In 1948 he became a Director of John Sarson & Son Limited, wine merchants. On the death of his father in 1949 he was appointed Chairman of both companies and was elected President in 1978, an office he held until his death. He was a Rural District Councillor for 25 years, serving on each committee and chaired Parish Meetings during that period. He was appointed High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1964. He was tremendously interested in a wide variety of sporting activities, particularly: Squash representing Leicestershire; Golf ; Skiing, being in the Kandahar Ski Club ‘Gold K’ ; Sailing on Rutland Water; Autosport, active in sports car racing in the 1950’s with Aston Martin Cars ; Motorcycling, a life-long enthusiast and in 1980 founded the Donington 100 Motorcycle Group and served as its Chairman and later its President; Flying fixed wing and helicopters; Rowing, kayaking, and Fighting kites. In addition to the above, he was also a farmer, enjoying walking and dogs. He embodied the best of family custodianship by not only transforming his brewing business into becoming more family friendly, overseeing the move to Castle Acres in 1982 but also in guiding the transition from one generation to the next with such foresight. Indeed, when he handed over he put a sign on his desk facing the entrance which read “A company prospers when its former Chairman turns up as infrequently as possible!” He lived life to the full, mostly writing the content for this obituary. He will be fondly remembered by all those people whose lives he touched but he never wanted anyone to mourn his passing. This is encapsulated by the words he wished to be conveyed in the announcement of his death “Do not grieve just rejoice for a full life.”
Captain John Robert Walpole Palmer Late The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) by Geoffrey van Cutsem, formerly The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) John was born in Ireland in 1943 where his parents Colonel Eric and Lady Anne Palmer were stationed. They all returned to the family home Rosemoor in North Devon a year later where John was to grow up. Rosemoor was on the River Torridge and had good salmon and sea trout fishing and John grew up to be a very knowledgeable and skilled fisherman. Rosemoor subsequently became famous for the beautiful garden which Anne Palmer created and gave to the R.H.S. As a boy John loved riding and participated in numerous hunter trials, chases and hunts so it was perhaps not entirely surprising that after going to Eton he joined The Blues and was commissioned in 1962 and sent out to Herford in Germany where he joined A Sqn as a troop leader.
He became Gunnery Officer and won the Gunnery competition in our Saladin Armoured Cars. In 1965 there was a call for a Volunteer Squadron to go out to the Far East to join The Life Guards, as President Sukarno of Indonesia had tried to seize British North Borneo and war had broken out. By the time The Blues Sqn under Maj Jim Eyre (later Maj Gen Sir James Eyre) had arrived at Singapore, the war was over, so most of our time was spent on jungle warfare training and free time on water skiing, something John excelled at. John left the Army in 1968 and went off to work as a student on an estate in Perthshire called Dirnanean which belonged to Francis Balfour a family friend, who was so impressed by John, that having no children of his own, subsequently left the estate to John. Whilst living at Dirnanean John married firstly Carol Atkinson Clark and had two daughters Melanie and Emma, then in 1979 Alison Allinson to whom he remained happily married for 32 years. Dirnanean was a 6,000 acre Highland Estate with hill farming and a grouse moor and John was an exceedingly generous host to his many friends including many old army friends. The moor was famous for a very steep drive known as Ben Earb or “cardiac hill” and over 100 brace of grouse were shot there in a day which in the 1970’s in Perthshire was special. Some years later John was to sell Dirnanean and moved to The Old Manse in Kirkmichael near by where he and Alison lived for the next 18 years. John developed two businesses in Scotland, one dealing with hill radio communications and the other selling the very successful light weight anti midge fishing jackets known as Bugwear. He also got involved with a committee helping to run Perth Racecourse and he was responsible for entertaining and looking after visiting Owners and Trainers. In 2000 John and Alison moved South nearer to John’s roots to Kingston St Mary near Taunton and John got very involved with both his local hunt and Church. Sadly John did not always enjoy the best of health and finally succumbed to cancer in October 2011. John was a very kind person with time for everybody always interested in their latest gadget especially if connected to fishing. He was a great mimic and raconteur and liked nothing better than an evening playing bridge with his friends. His Service of Thanksgiving in the local Church to which he had just donated a state of the art sound system was attended by nearly 300 people including many old Household Cavalrymen, he will be much missed by his many friends but most of all by his children and step children and devoted wife Alison.
Captain John Williams Late Royal Horse Guards John Williams, born in 1929, was Master of the Four Burrow Hounds in Cornwall from 1955 to 1978. He then moved to Herefordshire and farmed on the banks of the River Wye at Aramstone. He retained his hunting links by acting as a hunting reporter under the name of “Whipcord” for The Field and by acting as Chairman or President of the South Herefordshire Hunt until his death. John was extremely influential in the post war development of hound breeding; the Four Burrow Hounds being able to keep going during the war in a limited fashion because John was too young and his father had been severely wounded in the 191418 war. Notably the Duke of Beaufort entered 11 couple by Pleader (38) in 1944, hounds which were used by many masters in the post war world. In 1947-8 ten packs entered 30 couple
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