Obituary for John Selwyn Cecil Gurney-Champion

Obituary for John Selwyn Cecil Gurney-Champion

John Selwyn Cecil Gurney-Champion was born on the 22nd May 1923 in Taunton, Somerset.

In 1926 the family moved to the Isle of Wight and lived in Claterford Road, Carisbrooke. His father, a qualified Solicitor for many years,  purchased the practice of a solicitor called Edwin Parker, who had offices in Newport and Freshwater, Isle of Wight. His father took over both offices and continued under the name of Parker & Gurney-Champion.

John attended Westmont Primary School in Carisbrooke Road and then Ryde School. His parents decided John needed a more religious upbringing and for his final school year he attended Monkton Combe School, near Bath

In 1939 at the age of 16 John entered into five years Articles of Clerkship to his father. A month later the 1939-45 War broke out.

In 1940 John went to London to sit the Solicitors’ Intermediate Examination with bombs dropping all around and succeeded in passing this.  

In 1942 John was called up and spent 6 years in the Army before being released in 1948.  John spent most of his Army service in the Far East (India, Burma and Malaya).  Upon passing officer training, John volunteered to serve with the Gurkhas and was posted to the 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles in Burma. Where he was appointed Transport Officer and had under his charge a number of jeeps, trucks and mules.  

An article published in the Isle of Wight County Press on 21 June 1947 recounts one particular incident John was involved with: ‘While serving with the 3rd Gurkhas [he] showed such a flair for picking up the local languages that he was selected to command a band of guerillas in the Shan States, who spoke seven different lingoes. Led by him, they recaptured one of the largest hill stations in the Shan States, and for months they rendered valued help to the 14th Army by their raids on enemy communications during the liberation of Burma.’ 

After the Japanese surrender, John, now promoted to Captain, was involved in the Japanese War Crimes Trials. John was British Advisory Officer to the Japanese defence in Rangoon, Burma.  Those convicted could petition the Army Council to review the decision and he assisted in the preparation of these petitions, a number of which were successful, as a result of which John was promoted to Major and given the job of prosecuting officer on a travelling War Crimes Court in Malaya.  This was a very interesting experience.  John’s biggest trial took 6 weeks with 12 accused and resulted in them all being convicted with 5 sentenced to death by hanging and the rest given terms of imprisonment.  John was then aged 23 with only 3 years as an articled clerk behind him!

On 9 January 1948, the Isle of Wight County Press reported that Major John Gurney-Champion was now waiting at Singapore to return home for demobilisation. The authorities offered him promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and the presidency of one of the war crimes courts if he would postpone his demobilisation for six months, but John has declined the offer in order to return home to take his final law examinations.

John duly returned to the UK in 1948 and, after a 6 months course at Gibson & Weldon Law School in Guildford, he took the Solicitors Final and Honours Examinations in March 1949, gaining Second Class Honours and two Law Society prizes. These were the Sheffield Prize for the best candidate in the Final Examination and the Broderip Prize for the best paper on the subject of real property and conveyancing within all the Honours Examinations for the year 1949. John was also awarded the Ford Prize by the Hampshire Incorporated Law Society, awarded to the best Articled Clerk in the County.

The Law Society excused the remaining years of his articles on the grounds of war service.  John was admitted as a solicitor in May 1949 and immediately entered into partnership with his father and Paul Darch under the name of Parker & Gurney-Champion at Quay Street, Newport. John’s father died a month later leaving John as senior partner of the firm. 

A Portsmouth office was opened in April 1958 and a Southampton office opened in 1965.  In January 1989 John’s son Nicholas Gurney-Champion joined the firm and for many years ran the Portsmouth office. 

Professionally, John liked a legal challenge, was a keen advocate for his clients and had a good eye for detail. He was conducting court cases in the County Courts and in the Court of Appeal well into his 80’s.  He kept working as a solicitor until his death.  

In June 1952 John married Elizabeth Joan Brown, daughter of Arthur Ernest Brown, a farmer, of Merston Manor, Merston, Isle of Wight. The marriage took place at St.Georges Church, Arreton.  They initially lived in a charming house in Newport and then in 1955 moved to Standen House, Blackwater Road, Newport where the family was brought up and which remains the family home. John and Elizabeth had six children and at the time of John’s death there are 15 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Elizabeth died in July 2022 aged 96.

 John was very active in Island life. He was a founder member of the Newport Round Table and at the time of his death was a member of several ex Tablers Clubs, including Vectis 41 Club and Cowes 41 Club.

John was a keen sailor and was a member of the Island Sailing Club from 1952 to the time of his death. John and his family regularly had sailing holidays in the Lake District and Scotland.  

John was a keen walker and for over 20 years he led walks in the Isle of Wight Walking Festival, eventually stepping down at the age of 92. For many years he was a member of the Area Council of the Island branch of the Ramblers Association and sat on the Local Access Forum, a statutory body whose main function is to advise their appointing authority for their area (Isle of Wight Council), as to the improvement of public access to land in that area for the purposes of open-air recreation and enjoyment. John was passionate about the ability for members of the public to have access to footpaths and was frequently seen trying to navigate routes which had become overgrown.

John was also a Trustee and legal advisor of the Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust and regularly hosted their meetings at his home and regularly raised funds for the Trust.

John had a great interest in music, particular of opera and church music. He would regularly play music around the house, often very early in the morning and at a high volume, to encourage his children to get out of bed !

John passed away peacefully at the Mountbatten Hospice, Newport, IW on 15th April after a short illness at the age of almost 101. He is survived by his six children, 15 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.