TRIBUTES SIR JOHN HALL, BT
B
orn on 20 March 1932, Past Master Sir John Hall died this past August. When his daughter, Freewoman Caroline Dixon-Ward, wrote to inform The Company of the news, she shared, ‘He had enormous affection for his friends within the Clothworkers and high regard for The Company. He much enjoyed his work [there] and it meant a lot to him.’ John was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Oxford. He did his national service in the Royal Fusiliers. John was by profession a banker, starting his career in 1955 with J Henry Schroder Wagg. He then moved to Bank of America International. He had a long association with banking in South America. His last full-time post was as chairman of Nikko Bank UK.
Assistant Emeritus Richard Saunders remembers that John’s father, Sir Douglas Hall, came to a dinner at Clothworkers’ Hall as the guest of Alastair Leslie’s father. Having enjoyed himself, he enquired about joining The Company. Alastair claims that his father sent a postcard – his preferred method of communication – to the thenClerk with the instructions: ‘Please deal with this’, which the Clerk duly did. John himself joined The Company in 1957. He progressed through the Livery to the Court, becoming Master in 1999. For the three years preceding his Master’s Year, he served as Chairman of the Trust and Grants Committee. He was a committed and enthusiastic Clothworker whose banking background was put to good use when discussing The Company’s business affairs.
Richard believes John would approve of the direction The Company is taking today, the strength of our finances and our vision for the future. John was known as a keen traveller and fisherman, at one time owning a house in the north of Scotland. He was also involved in the financial affairs of the Church of England, being a member of the St Albans Diocesan Synod and Board of Finance, the Bishop Stortford Deanery Synod and his local parish church council at Albury. In 1957, he married Delia Innes, half-sister of Jimmy Innes (who was Master Excused in 1983). They had three children, who are all members of the Freedom: Caroline Dixon-Ward, David B. Hall and Julia O’Brian. Delia died in 1997, and the following year John married Danzie Ravenshear, who ably supported him as the Master’s Lady. Sadly, John was to be twice a widower as Danzie died in 2016.
Left: Sir John Hall dressed in his Master’s robes (1999). Right: The Viscount Slim, also dressed in his Master’s robes (1995).
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THE CLOTHWORKER | SPRING 2019
