Death Notes

LOVING MEMORIES OF PAMELA – A EULOGY FROM  RODNEY LOCKS

I am sorry not to be with you today, but will be with you all in spirit.  I was so grateful to Alan when he gave me this opportunity to share some thoughts with you.

I have known Pam for many years and particularly after the passing of her husband, Cyril, my uncle and my father Clifford’s brother.  She was a person I held in great affection.

Pam was a very warm and caring lady. A special memory I have was when I last saw Cyril during a visit with my wife Suzanne.  We were combining the visit with her father Arthur to his brother’s home near Bognor.  We left Arthur in the car outside, and after a warm welcome by Cyril and Pam, Cyril spotted through his outside camera that we had left someone in the car.  Upon hearing it was Sue’s father, he sprightly descended the stairs to go out and greet him, exchanged Christian names and warmly invited him to come upstairs to join the ‘party’.  They got on ‘like a house on fire’, and made it a memorable visit.

I got to know Pam quite well through a number of visits following my Uncle’s death and was struck with the warmth of her hospitality, and quite amazing memory.  We talked a lot about Australia – a country I have not visited, the Locks family and of course Cyril, to whom she was utterly devoted.

A few years ago, some family members put together a remarkable sketch of the life of Cyril’s father, my paternal grandfather, J G Locks and his father. I was able to add to this with some wonderful old photographs Pam kindly let me borrow to copy from Cyril’s own family album, and for this I will be forever grateful.

During my teens, I decided to emigrate to Australia through the Government’s post war £10 scheme, and Uncle Cyril agreed to be my sponsor.  Fortunately for my wife, Suzanne, I decided against doing so at the last minute.  When we got married, we bought our first home in Gustard Wood, about a mile from Mackerye End in Hertfordshire.  When I explained to Pam where we lived, she immediately knew the location very well, having worked and resided at Mackerye End, before meeting Cyril, and we greatly enjoyed sharing local memories.

I am sure we will all share in our own way many happy and fond memories of Pam, and I am sure this is how she would wish to be remembered..


Rodney D Locks
Monday, 11th July 2016