Obitaries Menell James Mann - 22162726 from 1949 to 1951 Scribe: Russell Mann (Son) Menell James Mann (Jim) was born on Monday 6th April 1931 at The Queens Hospital on Bath Row in Birmingham. Like most children, when the war started, he was evacuated out of city and his Mom went to work in a munitions factories at the BSA in Small Heath and later Walkers factory in Digbeth where she operated a 10 foot capstan lathe. After the war Dad finished his schooling at Ostler Street in Ladywood and started as an apprentice electrician for an electrical company in the city’s Gun Quarter. In 1948 Jim met Hilda and they married later that year. Their first daughter, Daryl, was born in 1949. Dad and Hilda would later have two other children, Russell and Samantha. He was called up for his National Service joining the REME in 1949 and started at the Ellesmere Workshop. We recently found his exercise book from the Vehicle Mechanic course he attended there. Out of interest there are notes on the front cover which are probably known to REME personnel including: No 4 ABTC, B VEH-MECH and Course T5L. Dad was later stationed in Kent and spent time in Libya, North Africa and had mentioned places such as Tobruk previously. He would talk about North Africa and Montgomery and how the direction of the war changed when a large tank battle was won against the Germans in WW2. However, for Dad there were no real hostilities whilst he was there other than his armoured car being ‘bricked’ by the locals on a regular basis! Dad loved his time in the army as it gave him an opportunity to develop his personal skills and build a camaraderie within a team setting. He often mentioned that his uniform was a Canadian issue, whatever that meant. He also learned to swim in the REME but most significantly he learned to drive, but he didn’t have to pass his test! Jim’s love affair with cars and driving had begun and during the next 69 years he had over 50 cars! In the early days he did most of the repairs, maintenance and servicing before graduating to buying new cars in the early 1960’s. Upon leaving the REME Dad worked at Morris’ Commercial cars in Saltley but moved into selling in the late 1950’s. After several jobs
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including running an electrical wares shop in Belfast, Dad joined the West Midland Gas Board (WMGB) and remained there for over 25 years moving to a Sales Manager position until he retired. In the mid-seventies, Hilda passed away and Dad re-married to Patti, who also worked at the WMGB. Dad and Patti moved to Javea in Spain for 10 years before returning to the UK and living in Ludlow and Wisbech. Patti passed away in 2013 and as Dad began to develop dementia and he relocated to Worcester to live closer to his daughter Samantha. Unfortunately his condition worsened and he entered the Willows Nursing Home in Worcester and spent over two happy years there before passing away on 14/03/2020. Due to the Pandemic situation there were only 6 at his funeral but we are hoping to give him a proper send-off later this year. Owing to Dad’s age there may not be too many comrades or colleagues around who shared REME times with him but he always smiled when his time there was discussed. Menell James (AKA Jim) is by survived by children: Daryl, Russell, Samantha and Gail plus their spouses Elaine and Darren. Grand children: Nicky, Leanne, Stephanie, Stuart, Greg and Alison. Great Grandchildren: Daniel and Hollie.
Major (Retd) Robert Gardner TD Scribe: Anne Gardner, his sister. Robert sadly died on 31st October 2020 after a short illness. He was born in Cardiff in 1939 but the family moved to Glasgow in 1943 after his father died. When Robert was 10, the family moved again, to Stirlingshire, and Robert took up the bagpipes, that became so important in his life. After school Robert went on to study for a degree in mechanical engineering in Glasgow. Whilst there, he joined the Pipe Band and the REME section of G l a s g ow U n ive r s i t y O f f i c e r Training Corps. He also met David Sleight t h e r e, w h o l a t e r j o i n e d t h e Regular Army and became a lifelong friend. After graduating, Robert was commissioned in the TA, joining 157 Infantry Workshop (TA) in December 1961. As well as TA service, there had to be a proper job and Robert’s career as an engineer was notable. He started work at Scottish Stamping in Ayr and became a specialist in die stamping. Thence to the Birmingham area, and Garringtons, which specialised in hammer forging. Their hammers were heard for miles. In the TA: he served as a subaltern with the Holywell Platoon of 118 Recovery Company (HQ in Prestatyn), continued as Captain with 237 Sqn RCT Wksp at West Bromwich and 35 Signal Regt LAD in Birmingham. He was promoted to major in 1980, as BEME with 30 Engr Bde (V). In 1988 Robert finally retired from the TA. After Garringtons, Robert removed to High Duty Alloys in Redditch and finally to SDF in Kidderminster. He was much respected in the forging industry. Robert’s love of the bagpipes continued throughout his life. Interesting that, in 1967, a unit based in Prestatyn had a piper to play for them. In 1998, at a farewell Dinner to Col George Illingworth as Col REME TA, the Prestatyn Mess again echoed to the skirl of the pipes during after Dinner games. Robert had joined the Birmingham Scottish Pipe Band when he moved into the Birmingham area and, when he died, he was Pipe Major of The West Midlands Fire Service Pipe Band. His piping was well known to local British Legion branches and the REME Association; he tirelessly supported both.
