JOHN L C TAYLOR (1919 – 1997)

John was born in London of Irish parentage. He was educated at Kent College from 1931 to 1936 and throughout his life maintained strong links with the school.  He served on the Board of Governors for 18 years and for 22 years he edited ‘The Old Canterburian Magazine’.  He started his career in the tea trade after leaving school, but then war intervened.  John was in the Territorials and when war broke out served with the East Kent Regiment, the Buffs.  He was on active service in France in 1940, when he was taken prisoner at Arras and until the last stages of the war he was interred in P.O.W. camps in Germany and Poland.

After the war he re-entered the tea trade and spent a short time in India.  However, his health had been undermined during his time as a prisoner and in 1946 he went to Switzerland to recover.  It was there that he met his future wife, Jean, and they married in 1950.  In the early part of his career he spent about 6 years in Dublin.  His links with Ireland were strengthened as he was approaching retirement and afterwards, as John and Jean spent an appreciable amount of time each year in Galway.  They made many friends among the local people.

John was a kind, gentle character.  His large physique and ready smile made him a memorable figure and naturally prompted the phase ‘gentle giant’.  He regularly attended St. Thomas’ R.C. Church in Sevenoaks and was a member of the Latin Mass Society.

John was a man who valued privacy and was content to pursue his interests quietly.  He was also a man of many enthusiasms, with a devotion to music, an endearing affection for his old school, a great interest in cricket and a passion for trains.  He retained a deep love for the peace and tranquillity that he found in Ireland.