David Heath LVO, 22 July
1927-17 July 2006
The funeral service
Appreciation by Anthony Carroll,
cousin in law
Compilation of tributes read by Michael
Lewis, friend and former Chairman of the Friends of Leatherhead
Parish Church and former churchwarden
Canon David Eaton's Address
David Heath RIP: Newsletter of the
Leatherhead & District Local History Society, August 2006
from the September 2006 Parish Magazine
Thank You I would like to thank all the many
people who have sent messages of sympathy since David's death in July.
To have such tremendous support is to feel one really belongs to a
Church "family". Linda Heath
The service was taken by Canon David
Eaton, Vicar of Leatherhead:
Hymn: O Jesus I have promised
Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble.
Tributes by Anthony Carroll (cousin in law) and Michael Lewis (friend)
Hymn: All my hope on God is founded
Reading by Stephen Madgwick (brother in law): St Paul's Epistle to the
Romans ch8 v31-39
Address: Canon David Eaton
Hymn (Descant by Linda Heath): The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended
Donations at the service went to the British
Lung Foundation
Anthony Carroll: David
was my cousin in-law.
I first met David shortly before he and my cousin Linda were to be
married. I was invited along with my parents and younger brother by
Linda's father, my uncle John, to their house in Mallord Street in
London to meet David.
In those bachelor days David had a 1931 Lanchester, a true
sit-up-and-beg type of car. We had just arrived and were standing on the
pavement outside when the dashing, carefree David came careering round
the corner on two wheels, finishing up with a flourish outside the
house.
I was learning to drive round about this time and David kindly let me
try driving his first new car, a Volkswagen Beetle. I remember that in
this car you had to push the pedals much further than any car I had
learnt on previously. He remained faithful to Volkswagen cars having
several Beetles and then Volkswagen Golfs.
During his long and varied career he and Linda had several overseas
postings. It was whilst they were visiting Hong Kong I celebrated my
twenty first birthday. They sent me a pair of Chinese cufflinks and a
silver tankard which I still have to this day.
Later on when in Beirut, before all the troubles when Beirut was the
Monte Carlo of the Eastern Mediterranean, they adopted an 'Arab alley
cat' which they named Mimi. She had a somewhat Bohemian nature and they
had rescued her from a basement. This may have been the start of asylum
seekers coming to the UK as David and Linda gave this cat refugee status
in Leatherhead where she very quickly adapted to suburban life. This cat
was the start of a succession of much loved cats that they had in St
John's Avenue.
One of David's hobbies was making and exquisitely carving full size
rocking horses producing several, the first one they kept and called
Pegasus. Later on when our two daughters were grown up with children of
their own David and Linda took on the roll of surrogate grandparents to
our grandchildren with both parties benefiting greatly from this. He
very kindly loaned Amy, our eldest grandchild, his beloved Pegasus
rocking horse to keep in her own home and for it then to be passed on to
other members of the family.
When Amy was about three years old and she and her parents were
visiting Linda and David they asked Chris and Jennie where they would
like to go for lunch; Amy piped up "the pub". So the pub it was. On
arrival Amy announced that she wanted to sit next to "Him". Him was
David, and a special relationship was born.
I shall always remember David's dry wit and the somewhat lugubrious way
he had of relating his many tales and descriptions of his adventures.
One of these being about 4 foot long centipedes that he encountered in
the Far East and described by David as being like miniature tube trains.
His reminiscences of his work with the royal palaces, especially the
restoration of Hampton Court Palace were fascinating, particularly the
problems of convincing bricklayers that the manner of laying bricks was
much more important than speed. Indeed 12 bricks a day was the maximum
if they were to be laid to David's exacting ancient royal palace
standards.
Once retired David decided he had had enough of telephones and it was
always a struggle to manage to speak to him before he quickly said
"Here's Linda" or "I'll just get Linda".
We shall miss him enormously and we will always remember him with great
affection.
The next was compiled from tributes
from various people received by Linda Heath and delivered at A
Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of David Hugh Heath on Friday
28th July 2006 by Mike Lewis, who made a small
addition:
David was such a modest and unassuming person that he could never
believe that anyone really cared about him or took any real interest in
him. He would have been absolutely amazed to read all the many, many
tributes that people have paid him in their letters and cards to Linda.
What do people most remember about him?
The things that stand out most of all in nearly all these
tributes are that he was a true gentleman; his ready wit and
humour; his kindness and concern for others, both young and
old; and his readiness to help in any situation of crisis or
need. Never was this seen more than after the fire in this
church in 1989 when David worked tirelessly to help repair
some of the damage done to the fabric of the church. The photo
on the cover of the service sheet shows him in his blue boiler
suite, patiently cleaning the angels on the reredos behind the
altar.
He spent many days working on them - Alison Wright wrote an
amusing article for the parish magazine about the blue ghost
who haunted the church, emerging from time to time to the
churchyard for a quick cigarette. Another task he helped
with after the fire was dismantling the old pipe organ and
laying out over 2,000 pipes on the pews.
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Among the many other things he did for the church were lifting and
repairing all the metal grids over the central heating pipes in the
floor which were in a very dangerous condition. When any of the wooden
supports for the pews collapsed, it was always David who came and
re-fixed them. Needless to say, he never expected thanks or gratitude
for whatever he undertook - he just got on with the job.
When the Friends of the Parish Church held an
auction in 1988 to raise money for the restoration of the
church, David made a small very simple rocking horse for it.
In the churchyard, he was always ready to help with any
clearing, and there was a time in the late 1980s when he and
Warner Wright spent days cutting the grass at the far end of
the churchyard with scythes.
In later years when he was not able to help with work in the
churchyard, he spent an enormous amount of time with Linda
helping to finish recording all the memorial inscription in
the churchyard.
In 1988, when Linda was churchwarden, she designed the
churchyard Garden of Remembrance for burial of ashes
and David drew the plans for this.
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He also gave a lot of his time and attention to helping with any
projects for the Museum at Hampton Cottage. When it was decided to
excavate the well in the garden there in 1990, David was there every day
with the team helping to sift through all the earth and rubble brought
up to the surface. Using his talent for jigsaw puzzles, he was able to
reassemble a large meat platter from the many fragments of it brought up
from different levels in the well.
When he was not engaged in all these activities, he spent a great deal
of time, as we know, making rocking horses. Many people used to stop and
chat to him on their way past the house and watch his progress on the
various rocking horses as he carved them in the garage. One of David's
rocking horses has graced the landing of Cherry House [the Lewis
home] since 1994 and has given great pleasure to all of our
grandchildren.
He was an avid reader and had a very extensive knowledge of history and
foreign countries and their histories. He was a tremendous support to
Linda in all her activities and took immense pride in what she did, not
least in when she was elected as Chairman of the Local History Society.
On one occasion, this posed an unexpected problem when he went to help
at the Museum, but had no key. When he went to collect a key from the
people who held it, they asked who he was, and he had to give the
somewhat curious reply - "Oh" he said, "I'm the Chairman's husband!"
We have heard how many people described him as a true gentleman, and
this would have pleased him more than anything. When he was a small boy
at school his class was asked to write down what they thought a
gentleman was. David wrote "A gentleman is someone who everyone
respects." David was held not only in respect, but with great love and
affection by all who knew him.
Spain 1985
Canon David Eaton's Address:
David was born in Ealing and went to school there where he showed an
early interest in both art and history. At the age of 7 or 8 he created
his own version of the Bayeux Tapestry and wrote the following
delightfully succinct poem about the death of King William Rufus:
Rufus the Red
Was shot in the head
And as he fell dead
He said "Oh my poor head!"
He became an architect, but his main interest was in the construction
rather than the design of buildings. As with everything else, he was an
immensely practical man - definitely a `hands-on' type of architect. In
1953 he joined the Colonial Service and went out to Malaya where he
spent five years designing and constructing many buildings, including
schools, and a training college, now the University of North Malaysia.
| This was during the Emergency when the Communist terrorists
were creating havoc there and David spent nearly all his free
time fighting terrorists in the jungle with the Reserve Corps
of the Federation of Malaya. He left Malaya when it became
independent in 1958 and returned to England where he worked at
Chessington for what later became the Ministry of Public
Buildings and Works, designing army barracks in Hong Kong. |
David escorting the Duke of Edinburgh during his visit to 'C'
Company, 1st Battn, Reconnaissance Regiment, in Penang 1957 |
They returned to England in 1964 and bought their present house in
Leatherhead in 1965 but again they were sent abroad - this time to the
Lebanon where they lived in Beirut for three years.
David was in charge of all Embassy and Consular buildings throughout
the Middle East - the work entailed a lot of security measures and meant
he had to travel regularly over a very wide territory from Athens and
the Balkan states to Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Cyprus.
He and Linda were married in 1960 and lived first in Little Bookham,
but in 1961 they went out to Hong Kong for three years where he was much
happier constructing the barracks and working on site.
On returning to England in 1964 he worked for various departments in
the Civil Service over the next twenty years, some of which also were
not without their excitements. He was working for the Post Office &
Telecommunications department when the IRA left a bomb near the top of
the Post Office Tower. Because of its height, this presented quite a
logistical rebuilding problem.
Later on, David was working for the London royal palaces when Hampton
Court caught fire, but luckily he had retired by the time the fire
occurred at Windsor, or we might wonder if he had become careless with
his matches! Being Surveyor to the Royal Palaces was his final post in
which, again, his work was primarily concerned with security. For his
work in this field he was made a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order (LVO)
on his 60th birthday in 1987. He particularly valued this order because
it is a gift from the Queen, not from the government.
As we have heard, David was a very active person and his illness in
recent months restricted his activities more and more, which was very
hard for him to accept. However, he was able to remain at home until
just two days before the end of his life. When the end came, it was
sudden and unexpected, but perhaps that is how he would have wished it,
and perhaps the happiest outcome for him under the circumstances.
(After this, the Vicar went on to say quite a lot about David's
character and what a stay and support he had been in helping to look
after the church building. He finished up by saying that no doubt he
would be helping to 'touch up' some angels in Heaven!)
from the August 2006
Newsletter of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society
DAVID HEATH R.I.P.
The Society mourns the passing of a staunch member. The husband of our
president Linda Heath. He passed away on 16th July. Many were present at
his funeral service which took place at St Mary and St Nicholas church,
Leatherhead on Friday, 28th July.
David who was an architect by profession, played an important part in
the affairs of the Society and was a key player in the development of
the museum in its early days. Roddy Clube who was with him during the
post-war years when both were posted abroad on Government business,
tells of David’s role in helping to ensure the safe conservation of
artefacts destined for the Leatherhead museum whilst the building was
being renovated.
In the first instance the objects were stored in a garage, then
subsequently transferred to a basement at a building named The
Priory (still the museum’s store house). There was plenty of
space here but the extreme dampness of the cellar was a threat to the
sound preservation of many items. He explained how David came to the
rescue by constructing an airtight enclosure which housed de-humidifying
equipment. Thus many vulnerable artefacts were saved from deterioration.
Speakers at the funeral service paid tribute to David, first and
foremost as a kind and gentle person ever ready to lend a hand in a
practical way whenever there was a need. A perfect example of this was
during the aftermath of the serious fire at Leatherhead parish church:
he gave himself unstintingly to assist in the renovation of the damaged
interior.
Referring to his work at the museum, one speaker recalled the time when
the contents of the well in the garden were being dug out and sorted.
This was an immense job with many curious objects being mingled with
much debris. Thanks to his skill and patience David was able to piece
together assortments of pottery fragments at various levels. His
painstaking efforts resulted in the reconstruction of some interesting
pieces of domestic tableware from earlier times.
We share with Linda our sadness at the loss of a dear and noble person.
from the December 2009 magazine
From the Magazine 20 years ago: New ghost in the church
Throughout November people have reported seeing the motionless
figure of a man crouching on top of the high altar in the Parish Church.
The ghost of a chancel monk, exchanging brown habit for blue dungarees?
No, the monk never leaves the church, and this man periodically goes
outside to pace up and down the churchyard, smoking a cigarette.
The sly shades of a rural dean? No, this man seldom spoke.
Motionless? At a distance, yes, but come closer and you see his hand
move. He is clutching a toothbrush – better not go too close. He sees
you. He speaks. "This dear little one has lost all her toes" he says,
and strokes the feet of one of the alabaster angels on the reredos with
the toothbrush. Poor fellow, you say, and escape. Perhaps you did not
notice that the angel on the left is a delicate shade of white, while
the right hand one is dark grey.
You enquire and discover that it is David Heath LVO,
lately architect to Her Majesty's palaces, whose greatest joy in
retirement has been to refurbish various parts of the church. The jobs
he finds are always time-consuming, intricate and mucky.
Go inside the church today and see what he's doing now.
And while you're there have a look at the angels, all of them.
Alison Wright
David's page last updated 1 Dec 2009: 8 Feb 2018
David's images: Linda Heath
Music before service and on entry
James
O'Donnell
Organist and master of the Choristers of
Westminster Abbey
who as a longstanding family friend has kindly agreed to play
the Thomas
Parker Organ in tribute to Linda
Sentences, Welcome and Introduction
Hymn - O Jesus I have promised
Collect
Psalm 150: alternate verses read by
priest and congregation:
Allelulia: O praise God in his holiness; praise him in the
firmament of his power
Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his
excellent greatness
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet; praise him upon
the harp and lyre.
Praise him with timbrel and dances; praise him on the strings
and pipe.
Praise him with ringing cymbals; praise him on the
clashing cymbals.
Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the
Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be
forever, Amen
Reading
- Romans 8:31-39
Stephen Madgwick, Linda's brother-in-law
Address - Rev Graham Osborne.
[extract] A year or two ago, after a funeral here, Linda and I got
talking about funerals and she said "Oh I hope they get it right at my
funeral." I said "Sit down and write it out, say what you want." So she
did. So what we have here is the service that Linda put together.
Outline of my life by Linda Heath
What would I like to have as an epitaph in just two words? Lots of
things I might like to have said about me, but I think the most damning
would be “Too busy”. It’s so easy to forget other people when we are
busy with things that occupy our time. I sometimes think that life could
be summed up briefly as “Too difficult”. But perhaps what I would most
like to have is a description of me made many years ago as a local music
teacher – “Very cheerful”. I always tried to be that no matter how I was
feeling.
I have had such a fortunate life and every day I give thanks for
health, friends and family. I was born in 1931 and grew up in Aberdeen
where my father was professor of Natural Philosophy at the university,
but in 1942 he became Chief Scientific Advisor to the Admiralty in
London [editor: Sir John Carroll, as he became, was a post-war
Deputy Director of R&D at the Admiralty. He died in 1974. Linda was
the child of his first marriage, to an American. Linda thus had a number
of American relations.], so as my parents had separated, I went to live
with an aunt who looked after me like a mother.
St Margaret's School, Aberdeen, 1935 |
Linda - 'Dumfries 1943' |
In 1943 I went to Benenden, evacuated to Newquay at that time, where I
was very happy and also in Kent when the school returned there after the
war. After leaving school I studied at the Royal Academy of Music and
then went to teach at Wycombe Abbey in 1953. However, I decided I wanted
to see a bit of the world so I went to Canada in 1955 and taught music
for two years in Quebec province and then in Montreal for one year.
It was on the return journey from Montreal in 1958 that the whole
course of my life changed when I met David. He was returning from
working as an architect for the Colonial Office in Malaya and we were
both immediately drawn to each other, though David was planning to go
overseas again. However, he in fact joined the Ministry of Public
Buildings and Works at Chessington where he was designing buildings for
the army in Hong Kong.
| We were married at Chelsea Old Church in 1960 and rented a
house in Little Bookham and I taught music at the Howard of
Effingham School and the Leatherhead School of Music, at that
time in Devon House, Church Road. |
photo dated 26th March 1960 |
In 1961 we went out to Hong Kong for three years, which was absolutely
marvellous. We returned to England in 1964 and bought our house in St.
John’s Avenue in March 1965.
In 1966 we were again on the move – this time to Beirut. David was
transferred to the Diplomatic and Consular Service and he was
responsible for the maintenance and security of all embassies and
consular buildings throughout the Middle East. It was a big job and
involved a great deal of travelling. We were able to travel to some
places together, such as Tehran, Isfahan, Persepolis, Cairo, Luxor,
Cyprus and Athens, which was wonderful to see all these places. I gave
some piano recitals in Jordan for the British Council, who then paid my
expenses.
Linda in Beirut |
Linda, September 1968
|
We came back to Leatherhead in 1969 and I resumed my teaching at the
Leatherhead School of Music. In 1977 Sheila Hind, the Principal, retired
and Mrs. Wolff who ran the Secretarial School in Bridge Street took over
the Music School and I was the Musical Director (Acting unpaid!) there
for several years.
Dynamic Linda
In the 1980s two very important events took place in my life – in 1986,
much to my astonishment, our vicar at that time, Sandy Morris, asked me
to be Churchwarden. I was amazed, but very honoured. I had Sydney Brown
as my fellow churchwarden for the first two years, and then Ken Barber.
In 1988 we set about a major restoration of the church, starting with
the roof and going on to the inside. It cost a great deal and took an
enormous amount of fund-raising, but we held lots of events to raise the
money for it which were all great fun and provided many friendships and
goodwill among our members. It was completed by Easter 1989, only to
have a fire break out beside the organ later that year. The whole church
had to be redecorated, but fortunately, the insurance paid for it and
not too many things were destroyed.
Our vicar, Sandy Morris, left in 1988 so there was also a lot more to
do during the nine month interval before David Eaton arrived. The last
thing I did as churchwarden in 1989 was to design the Garden of
Remembrance for the burial of ashes, and this is something in
which I take real pride. The reason for this was because we were no
longer allowed to have plaques in the ground for burial of ashes. My
idea was to have three encircling walls with plaques on them as ‘arms’
round the area for ashes, though as it happens, a second garden has been
created before the encircling walls were built, but both gardens can
have encircling walls in due course.
The first wall of Remembrance, in 2004
source: Haslam
The other event which gave me great satisfaction was the creation of A
Rich Inheritance – an enactment of historical events in
Leatherhead to be performed in the church. This was first performed in
1995, then in 2000 and again in 2008. It was really exciting to see
these events being brought to life and we all formed lasting friendships
in the course of rehearsals. It is my hope that this may continued to be
performed in the church at regular intervals.
from the 1995 production of A Rich Inheritance: the date of
this scene is 2nd October 1806.
Dr Lawdell informs Caroline, Princess of Wales (L) that Miss
Harriot Mary Cholmondeley, who was attending her on a visit to Norbury
Park, is dead following a coaching accident on their approach to
Leatherhead. This event is commemorated by a plaque in the church.
source: Haslam
All these various events though are as nothing compared to everything I
have received – health; love from family and friends, above all from
David who was my help and support at all times; and for the friendship
of so many people.
2007: Inaugural concert for the Thomas
Parker Georgian Organ
in Leatherhead Parish Church: Linda with Benenden
school-friend Gillian Womersley, mother of James O'Donnell,
Organist and master of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey
source: Haslam |
2011: L-R: Gwen Hoad - Linda - Celia Marchisio
music making
source: Marchisio |
I have indeed been fortunate and I am grateful to everyone – thank you
all.
Hymn - All My Hope On God Is Founded
Prayers, ending with the Lord's Prayer
Hymn - The Day Thou Gavest: Descant written
by Linda Heath
Commendation
Go
forth on thy journey from The Dream of
Gerontius - Elgar
Committal
Blessing
Exit Music Now Thank We All Our God (Nun danket)
The service was followed by a Private Cremation.
Service conducted by The Revd Graham Osborne.
Organists: James O'Donnell and Gina Eason.
Donations, please, to Music
in Hospitals.
The family invited the congregation to the Parish Hall for
refreshments after the service.
My Cousin Linda - by Anthony Carroll
I knew Linda all of my life. When Linda’s parents split up she came to
live with my Father and Mother and she always told me about how she used
to push me in my pram. In those days prams were huge, more like a small
carriage. Linda must have been about 11 years old at the time. She was
at my christening in her school uniform complete with straw hat. It
being wartime my Father, who had the temporary rank of colonel, was in
charge of a military hospital. He was moved round the country and Linda
moved with us until it was time for her to go to boarding school.
Her father, who was until 1942 Professor of Natural Philosophy at
Aberdeen University, moved south to take up the position of chief
scientist at the Admiralty. He rented a house for himself and Linda at
Denham in Buckinghamshire. The other part of this large house was
occupied by Malcolm Sargeant the conductor. This was named the White
House and is the house where Cilla Black now lives. Linda spent
her holidays from boarding school there and I stayed with them one
weekend when I was about 6. I remember that they had a tethered goat to
keep the grass down and to provide milk.
Linda was very talented musically and went to the Royal Academy of
Music. At one time she thought she might like to join the WRAF and went
on a taster course with several other girls to test their suitability
for military life. One of the challenges Linda told me of was how to
cross an imaginary bottomless chasm with only two planks, neither of
which was long enough to reach across. She decided the WRAF was not for
her and taught music instead.
I attended her wedding to David in 1960. Her father had remarried and
was living in Mallord Street in London from which Linda departed for the
church and her marriage.
Linda and David travelled a lot due to David’s work. They were in Hong
Kong when I was 21 and they sent me two silver Chinese tankards for my
21st birthday. In 1966 Linda and David transferred to Beirut. In those
days it rivalled the south of France for elegance and climate and
sophistication. A stray alley cat adopted them and rather than abandon
it when they left for the UK they brought it with them to Leatherhead
where it lived a long and happy life.
Linda had a tremendous knowledge and love of Leatherhead and we
remember going to her production in the church of the history of
Leatherhead [A Rich Inheritance]. Her brother in law Stephen,
my wife and I were left in her house in St John’s Avenue with a
sumptuous cold buffet she had prepared for us. Linda went on well ahead
to organise everything for the evening’s performance at the church. We
enjoyed the meal she had left us so much that we had to rush to get to
the performance on time. We arrived to find a very agitated Linda
telling us that we had lost our seats she was trying to keep for us! It
was a fascinating evening and we enjoyed hearing all about Leatherhead’s
past that Linda had so brilliantly written about.
Sadly Linda and David were not able to have any children and when our
first granddaughter Amy was born they took to her as a surrogate
granddaughter. There was a real bond between David, Linda and Amy. Only
a few weeks before she died, Linda took Amy to see a performance of The
Gondoliers which they both enjoyed very much. It was incredible
that Linda found the strength to do it, but that was Linda. Her courage
and determination was an example to us all.
We miss her greatly and above all her love and friendship.
A Tribute to Linda - Roddy Clube
My wife, Mary and I first met Linda and David in 1967 in Beirut, and I
recall Linda giving a piano recital for Embassy staff. In June of that
year the Arab/Israeli War broke out and lasted seven days. During this
period David was very busy putting steel mesh in the basement of the
embassy as a precaution. When a small mob formed up outside, there was
fear that they might try to burn down the embassy which had happened
elsewhere in the past.
We next met up in 1970 when I was serving in Baghdad and the Iraqis
broke relations with the UK without warning, and I suddenly found myself
back in London. It was very fortunate that Linda and David were able to
lend us the use of their house for a couple of days while we were trying
to get our own house back.
Linda and I were both involved with the Leatherhead Local History
Society. In this she subsequently became President. She built up a
repertoire of lectures on persons and subjects such as Fanny Burney, and
refugees from the French Revolution who were living at Juniper Hall. The
latter included Mme de Stael and General D'Arblay, a French cavalry
officer. They lived in the Hermitage in Bookham.
Linda was also very active in Church affairs. She was a Churchwarden
and took services at Leatherhead Hospital, playing the piano for the
hymns.
Linda was a strong character. She was indefatigable, kindly, and
helpful. She was a very good friend who will be greatly missed by many
people in addition to me.
For around 30 years, Linda and David, my wife, Mary, and myself met up
regularly enjoying many good times together. More recently we continued
to meet and I was due to see her on the weekend before she went into
hospital. I shall miss her greatly.
I am sad that she has been unable to enjoy the beautiful wisteria at
her house this year.
Roddy Clube 22.5.13
Linda Heath - Musician, from Gwen Hoad
This appreciation also appeared in the August 2013 Newsletter of
the Leatherhead & District Local History Society
Members of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society know of
Linda as a local historian but may not know that she was a professional
musician. I had the privilege of playing piano duets with her most weeks
for several years. She seemed to be delighted to find someone with whom
she could share her enjoyment of music with and was disappointed when
something prevented our meeting.
Linda studied at the Royal Academy of Music and qualified as a teacher,
a career she followed all her working life. While in London she sang
with the Bach Choir but her work took her to Canada. She met her
husband, David, on the boat she travelled back to England on. He saw
this young woman playing the piano on board and that was that.
David's work as an architect took them to Beirut and Hong Kong for
several years, but on their return, Linda taught at the Leatherhead
School of Music in Bridge Street. She also taught the piano at home
where pupils were able to play on her lovely grand piano. There are
local musicians who owe the start of their musical careers to her. She
served the church through music, playing for services at All Saints
until it closed for worship recently, and at Leatherhead Hospital. She
was very involved in the campaign to reinstall the Parker organ at the
Parish Church and wrote a booklet about it.
Linda performed on the piano in public from time to time, and was very
flattered to have been asked to play in the Chopin Society's members'
recital for a second time, which sadly she did not live to do.
An Appreciation of Linda Heath from Peter Tarplee
This appreciation appeared in the August 2013 Newsletter of the
Leatherhead & District Local History Society. Peter Tarplee is
Vice President and a past Chairman of the Society.
Linda was a member of the local history society for many years and
contributed to it in so many ways. She first joined the Executive
Committee in 1986 and was elected to be its Chairman three years later a
position she held until 1996. In 2002 Linda was appointed to be
President of the society, an office which she held until standing down
at the 2007 AGM.
She was always willing to work for the society and she was an active
member of the Programme Committee as well as a trustee of our museum.
When the museum trust ceased to exist as a separate body Linda again
became a member of the Executive Committee.
She was a steward at the museum for many years and as well as giving
many talks she also contributed to the society by writing a number of
books on their behalf.
Linda lived with her husband, David (who died in 2006) in Little
Bookham from 1960 but they soon had to spend 3 years abroad where David
was working. They returned in 1964 and lived in Leatherhead but a year
later they spent 3 years in Beirut.
From the time that they lived permanently in Leatherhead Linda was
extremely active in whatever organisation she was involved none so more
than the Leatherhead and District Local History Society. Whatever needed
doing from making tea to chairing a committee Linda was always willing
to take on the task. Our society as so many other organisations in the
area will miss Linda very much but we should all be grateful for her
contribution over the years.
Linda was very active in Leatherhead Parish Church as churchwarden,
archivist, organist and organiser of the Voluntary Car Service. She was
a member of Leatherhead Community Association on whose committee she
represented the local history society. She also represented L&DLHS
and the LCA for many years on the organising committee of Mole Valley
Heritage Open Days as well as helping with walks and visits during the
weekend.
Peter Tarplee
Some Recollections of Linda from Stephen Fortescue
Stephen Fortescue was a Founder Member of the Leatherhead and
District Local History Society and is a past President: these
recollections appeared in the August 2013 Newsletter of the
Leatherhead & District Local History Society
Linda Heath in the late 1950s or early 1960s had taken up the position
of music teacher at a local school and rented a cottage in Little
Bookham from Miss Elsie Micholls of Manor Farm, Little Bookham. Miss
Micholls was the daughter of the Lord of the Manor of Manor House,
Little Bookham. Miss Micholls invited me to take tea with her and to
meet Linda and her husband David.
Inevitably the conversation turned to local history and Linda had
joined the Society. Miss Micholls' nephew, son of Dr G H Rendell who for
a short time was headmaster of Charterhouse, gave a lecture on the
History of Little Bookham at which Linda was present. The lecturer
always talked with his hands in his trouser pockets. To the alarm of all
present his fly buttons were undone - a local resident, Michael Easun
prepared and suitably equipped to rush on stage in case anything
untoward happened.
Linda became chairman of the Society in 1989 which office she held
until 1996 when she was appointed Vice President until 2002 and then
President until 2006. She was actively supported by David who was a
surveyor at the Office of Works and responsible for the restoration of
the Albert Memorial in London.
It was during her term in office as Chairman that the Howard Vault in
the Churchyard of St Nicolas in Great Bookham was investigated and
supervised and Linda arranged for David to survey the interior. An
article appeared as an Occasional Paper No.4 of the History Society and
David made a plan of the location of the coffins.
Again with the encouragement of Linda David surveyed the removal of the
granary then in the car park of Preston Cross Hotel and the siting of it
in the grounds of Manor House School, Little Bookham for its proper
restoration. I can remember watching with Linda when David made his
first investigation. The floor of the granary was rotten but David
crawled underneath and his head popped up through the rotten floor
reminiscent of the head of John the Baptist on the plate.
Linda was an indefatigable worker for the Society - her enthusiasm was
infectious. She wrote and published many books and pamphlets on the
History of Leatherhead and of local schools. She was sometime a
churchwarden of St Mary and St Nicholas Parish Church and much of her
research related thereto. Her wisdom and enthusiasm will be missed.
SED Fortescue
Linda Heath 1931- 2013
This tribute appeared in the August 2013 Newsletter of
the Leatherhead & District Local History Society
It is with sadness to record the death of one of the most
dynamic members of the History Society. Linda held many offices
including that of Chairman and President and she was also a very active
member on various subcommittees and a staunch supporter of the
Leatherhead Museum when the building was maintained by a separate
charity. She was also instrumental with Gordon Knowles our recent past
president in the winding up of the museum trust and steering the merger
of the trust with the L&DLHS.
Linda was also active with Peter Tarplee our past Chairman
on behalf of the History Society in supporting Heritage Open Days in
Mole Valley, attending meetings, working with Rod Shaw and organising
and working with the Leatherhead Community Association to mount displays
on one or other annual themes set for those days.
Several members have been approached and asked to provide
their own recollections of Linda and of her work for the society. They
have kindly obliged and I would like to thank them all for their
contributions which are in this Newsletter.
Linda Heath, my friend - a personal tribute from Celia Marchisio
I first met Linda and David in 1970 when my family moved to Leatherhead
from London. Later in 2000 when my husband John and I finally moved down
here we became neighbours. They were so kind, friendly and welcoming,
often having us round to the house. Drinks or tea under the magnolia
became a favourite, also Sunday lunch.
Linda loved her garden and spent much time in it, enjoying it as well
as working hard in it. She had a great love of cats and had many
wonderful tales to tell of the cats that she and David had, especially
Mimi, the one they brought all the way back from Beirut, the redoubtable
Oscar and more latterly Tammy. What a great sense of humour she had and
dry wit, such an amusing lady!
It was lovely to walk past Linda's house early in the evening and to
hear her playing the piano, as she always did at that time of day and
also on a Monday morning when she played duets with her dear friend
Gwen. A proud moment was when she played at the Chopin Society's Member
Concert in London last year. She was planning to play again this year in
July, even though she had broken her shoulder not so long ago!
What enthusiasm and tenacity she had in all that she did and what a lot
she did after retiring from Piano teaching. Not one to want to sit
around, she was always busy with all her voluntary work, her lectures,
her books, the car pool, the museum, the library and all the concerts,
lectures and local events she attended. Such a natural organiser! After
David, passed away she would still go away sometimes on her own driving
to Norfolk or Devon. Where did she get her energy from, I used to
wonder!
After my husband passed away in 2010 Linda was even more supportive,
holding me together at times and often having me round for supper, which
was so appreciated. She was so thoughtful at birthdays and
anniversaries, always arranging something for me if I was on my own,
such as visits to National Trust places.
She became my closest friend. We went to the New Forest , one of her
favourite places, also did a 5-day Rail journey to Wales in 2011, last
year a holiday in Vienna & down the Danube and more recently the New
Forest just at Easter this year with dear William as well. How wonderful
that she was able to enjoy that break near the end of her life and was
able to be so active generally.
Linda was always such an interesting and stimulating companion, so good
with meeting new people, putting them at their ease. I shall always
remember her wonderful smile, which would light up a room. I give thanks
for having had such a wonderful friend in my life, for her wonderful
life and wish her now the Peace and Joy she deserves. I send her my
love, my gratitude and many Blessings.
Despite everything ... from Bernard Salsbury
In his letter of condolence to Linda's brother William, after recalling
that he and Linda had served on the committees of a number of local
organisations, Bernard continued: Linda gave freely of her time and
energies and was especially good at giving presentations on the history
of Leatherhead. I had asked her to give one of these to the Probus Club
of Leatherhead at the Leatherhead Leisure Centre.
Prior to lunch, after which she was to speak, she carefully set up her
slide projector. However, on switching on, the picture was lower on the
screen than desired. In an attempt to be helpful I placed a couple of
thick wine menus under the front of the projector - whereupon the slide
magazine came out and all the slides fell to the floor! Accompanied by a
stiff drink, Linda painstakingly restored them in the right order in the
magazine, and reloaded.
After lunch she commenced her talk but after one slide the Leisure
Centre suffered a complete power failure! Nevertheless Linda proceeded
with her excellent lecture without the assistance of her slides. A true
reflection of her indomitable spirit.
It has been a privilege to have known such a talented lady.
My Favourite Hobby - Gardening: Linda Heath
For the 2012 December Social Meeting of the Leatherhead &
District Local History Society, Linda was one of those who each spoke
for five minutes or so on the subject 'My Favourite Hobby'.
I have chosen gardening as my favourite hobby, and when you have heard
what I have to say about it, you may well wonder why?
First of all, why do I like gardening? To be honest, I don't – it's
just that if it is a nice sunny day, I much prefer to be out in the
garden rather than stuck in the house, so gardening is my excuse to be
outside. In a way, I look on it as housework in the garden instead of
the house.
There are four major handicaps to serious gardening and, unfortunately
I suffer from all of them. The first is a total lack of knowledge about
plants of all sorts, and a complete inability to remember their names
other than say daffodils, daisies and dandelions.
The second handicap is difficulty in kneeling down and, even more, in
getting up again. This makes planting very difficult.
The third one is increasingly poor eyesight which makes it hard to read
the names of the plants I am buying, and the instructions of how to look
after them, plus instructions on boxes, bottles etc. almost impossible.
The last handicap is vertigo. This requires considerable care in
getting up after bending down and makes looking upwards to pick or prune
plants up above me interesting.
Nevertheless, I press on regardless though, it has to be said, that
apart from hang-gliding and bungy-jumping, gardening must be one of the
most dangerous occupations, with injuries ranging from splinters, cut
fingers, scratched arms and legs to breaking one's neck in falling off a
ladder.
As some of you know, I managed to break my hip a year ago just picking
runner beans. A more innocent and harmless occupation could hardly be
imagined and when I arrived at Guildford hospital they all felt it was
the most uncommon cause of a broken hip they had ever heard of. The only
reason it happened was because I pulled hard on a high tangle of beans
over my head and the whole lot came away, so with no resistance from the
plant the beans and I fell heavily onto the patio.
My big worry was that as I had only popped out for a moment or two to
pick the beans, I had left the potatoes on the cooker with the gas full
on. It was a fine evening in August, so I realised I would come to no
harm if I just lay on the patio for a couple of hours until my brother
came home. But by that time, the potatoes would have boiled dry, the
saucepan would have burned – maybe the kitchen and then the whole house
would catch fire.
So I realised I would have to shout for help and hope that eventually
some passer-by at the front would hear me. I knew that two lots of
neighbours were away, but I shouted and shouted for help, and by great
good fortune, the little girl next door was on their patio and heard me
calling out and after only about ten minutes her father came round and
rescued me. The first thing I asked him was to turn off the potatoes! He
phoned for an ambulance, so all was well and I was very lucky, but it
does illustrate my point about the dangers of gardening!
So apart from weeding, pruning, planting etc. what is it I like about
gardening? I think the answer is the results that all the work brings. I
really love my garden – I sit and enjoy it as much as I can from my
early morning tea in summer up to a drink before dinner in the evening.
It is a real joy to me to see everything come out in due season;
snowdrops, crocuses, forsythia, daffodils, etc above all the magnolia
tree when it is in full bloom. Few people can enjoy their garden as much
as I do. That's why all the time, effort, injuries etc. are worth it.
Leatherhead Advertiser, Thursday 4 July 2013
Indefatigable 'good friend' praised for many talents
Dynamic Linda was kindness personified
Family and friends have paid tribute to a popular woman who was a
"dynamo of a person" and loved Leatherhead.
Linda Heath, who has died aged 81 after a 25-year battle with cancer,
was a well-known figure round the town, after teaching music to many
children. She was also an active member of the Leatherhead Community
Association and Leatherhead and District Local History Society.
Born in Aberdeen in 1931, she grew up in the city before attending
Benenden boarding school, in Kent, and then the Royal Academy of Music.
She then taught music for three years in Canada, before returning to
England in 1953. It was on her journey home that she met the man who was
to become her husband, David, who was returning from working as an
architect for the Colonial Office in Malaysia.
The happy couple were married at Chelsea Old Church in 1960, before
renting a house in Bookham.
Mrs Heath began teaching at the Howard of Effingham School and the
Leatherhead School of Music, and the couple bought their home in St
John's Avenue, in Leatherhead, in March 1965.
The Heaths relocated to Beirut in 1966, after Mr Heath began working
for the Diplomatic and Consular Service. When they returned to
Leatherhead in 1969, Mrs Heath resumed her teaching at the Leatherhead
School of Music, becoming the musical director there in 1977.
She also became an active member of both the Leatherhead Community
Association and the Leatherhead and District Local History Society, of
which she later became both chairman and president.
Her close friend Gwen Hoad, of the Leatherhead Community Association,
said: "She was always concerned about people, especially if she thought
they were lonely, and would invite them for tea or a meal. Her home was
an open house."
Mrs Heath published a total of five books on the history of the town,
including Of Good Report: The Story of Leatherhead Schools, in
1986, and Leatherhead in Georgian Days, in 2012. Another big
part of her life was her connection with St Mary's Parish Church, for
which she was a warden for three years in the 1980s.
Friend Roddy Clube, of Bookham, said: "Linda was a strong character.
She was indefatigable, kindly and helpful. She was a very good friend
who will be greatly missed by many people in addition to me."
Mrs Heath's brother William Carroll moved into her St John's Avenue
home with her after Mr Heath passed away six years ago. "My sister Linda
had a wonderfully warm and cheerful personality, and was renowned for
her indefatigable fighting spirit," said Mr Carroll.
"Music and gardening were great passions but she also had a fine
academic mind, as her books on Leatherhead history clearly demonstrate
and, as anyone who worked with her will tell you, she was a great
organiser. Linda also had strong religious beliefs and was always
concerned for those less fortunate in society - she could never pass a
beggar in the street without giving him or her some money. He added:
"She was a dynamo of a person and will be greatly missed by her family
and all who knew her."
Linda Heath: from the Parish of Leatherhead magazine, August
2013
Not many eighty or so year old widows have the church full to bursting
for their funeral, but such was the feeling of the community for Linda
Heath that those who could not make it to the funeral – and there were
some – felt themselves impoverished that they were not there.
All this was as it should be, for Linda gave so much to Leatherhead and
its life. She was not content to study and record its history: she had
to share it with everybody. She wrote five booklets on different aspects
of its history – on its early education and schools, on the church’s
history, on its organ, and so on. She wrote a play, A Rich
Inheritance, in which scenes from Leatherhead’s past are
re-enacted, and which has been staged a number of times in the parish
church.
As Chairman and President of the Leatherhead & District Local
History Society she made sure that as many people as possible
appreciated the place in which they live by acknowledging the richness
of its past. Leatherhead is not just any old small market town which has
seen better days: it is unique, as are them all. Think of Linda when you
see the plaques dotted round the town telling passers-by of the history
of various buildings.
Linda used to ring me in a slightly hesitant way, which I knew was the
preamble to a request to do something – take photos, write a poster for
the car pool, etc, etc. She was great at getting things moving! In the
last few years I met her in Annie’s every Saturday when she brought our
old friend Roddy Clube down from Bookham for coffee. She and David had
known Roddy and his wife Mary in Beirut in the sixties – once you were a
friend of Linda’s, it was a lifelong commitment!
No-one knew that more than her friend Gillian Womersley. They were at
school together, and shared a lifelong love of music. The church has
recently benefited from this connection: Gillian’s son James O’Donnell,
internationally known organist and Master of the Choristers at
Westminster Abbey, played the inaugural concert in the parish church in
2007 on the restored 18th century Thomas Parker organ. He played at
Linda’s funeral.
Alison Wright
Links
Leatherhead
Community Association
Leatherhead
& District Local History Society (see Publications
page)
Leatherhead
Parish Church, Publications page
Thomas
Parker Organ, Leatherhead Parish Church
Unless otherwise stated, photos via Linda's family
Linda's page created 9 Jul 13, last updated 13 Aug 13: 8 Feb 2018
If you can add to this page with memories or photos please contact the editor
