Jon Downes: Still on the track...........

John Tweddell Downes I.S.O
(1925-2006)


John Downes was born in Plymouth in1925. He joined the Merchant Navy in 1943 and served as a Communication's Officer during the Battle of the Atlantic. He returned to shore in 1947, and after marrying his childhood sweetheart Mary, worked for the Ministry of Agriculture in North Devon. In 1952 he joined the Colonial Service in Nigeria and together with Mary, worked in some of the most isolated parts of North Nigeria on the southern borders of the Sahara Desert. Often they were the first Europeans to have visited these remote regions for over half a century.

In 1960 John was transferred to Hong Kong where he rose to the rank of Assistant Colonial Secretary, and as a commisioned officer in the Royal Naval Reserve, founded the Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps. His outstanding work within the Civil Service was duly recognised when he was made a companion to the Queen and awarded the Imperial Service Order. Unfortunately John was forced to take early retirement on medical grounds in 1971, and he and Mary spent the rest of their lives together in Woolfardisworthy, North Devon, where they quickly earned the respect and love of the local community. John became a financial manager for many local businesses, and was a tireless pillar of the community and church. He renewed his love of the sea by becoming the Commanding Officer of TS Revenge, the Bideford Sea Cadet Corps and became an inspiration for generations of young people.

During his retirement, John became an acknowledged author and was an expert in such diverse areas as African History, and Devonshire dialect. He was the author of several books including `A Dictionary of Devonshire Dialect` (1988), `Granfer's Bible Stories` (2005) and `Fragrant Harbours, Distant Rivers` (2006). He was widowed in 2002, and after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease, died peacefully in North Devon District Hospital on Tuesday February 14th aged 81. He is survived by his two sons, Jonathan Downes, (46) - Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology - and The Rev'd Richard Downes BEM CF (42), a Chaplain to the Forces in the Army. The funeral will take place at Clovelly Parish Church at 12 p.m on Tuesday 21st February.

My brother and I would like to extend a warm welcome to a reception at Myrtle Cottage, Woolsery at 1.30 pm, followed by a short service of committal at Barnstaple Crematorium at 3.30 pm. All members of the congregation are invited to attend this if they wish to do so.



No flowers by request, but donations can be made in his name to the Bideford Sea Cadets, or to the CFZ Trust (www.cfz.org.uk).

JOHN TWEDDELL DOWNES 1925-2006

Requiem

by Robert Louis Stevenson

UNDER the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie:
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he long'd to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

My father died at just after six thirty this morning. Richard - my brother - and I were at the bedside. I held his hand whilst Richard - an army Padre - said the prayers for the dying. It was a very beautiful and spiritual moment, and it will take both of us a considerable time before we can put it all in perspective.

My brother and I would like to thank ALL the staff on the Intensive Care Unit at the North Devon District Hospital, especially Dad's alloted nurse Michelle, who was affectionate, kind beyond belief, and both compassionate and professional. Thank you my dear - we both owe you a debt that can never be repaid.

The funeral arrangements will be made in the next day or so and we shall post them here.

My brother and I want to thank everyone who has given us messages of support over the last weeks.

God Bless you all

Jon and Richard Downes

News Update

Graham has confirmed that Jon's brother, Richard has arrived.

Mark North

Latest News

We have recently be informed by Graham, who is with Jonathan at his fathers bedside that he is "unlikely to last the night" at Barnstaple Hospital.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them

Mark North

APPROACHING THE END

Graham and I went to the hospital this afternoon. Dad is in intensive care, and in a semi-comatose state. On top of everything else he now has a punctured bowel, and acute renal failure. He is unlikely to last more than a few more days. I would rather that he be visited only by close family. My brother is on Compassionate Leave from the Army and is flying back to England tonight.

I will, of course, keep everyone posted about his progress.

Thank you all for your support and kindness.

UPDATE

I have just spoken to the hospital. They have asked me to come there now. My brother is flying back from Germany this evening. I have to say that it does not look good.

Keep us in your prayers...

MONDAY MORNING

I have just had a telephone call from the hospital. Dad is in considerable pain with a strangulated hernia and will be going in to surgery shortly. How serious this is I don't know, but I will keep you updated. Your thoughts and prayers are neded at this time more than ever.

SUNDAY EVENING

i sat with Dad for about three hours this evening just holding his hand. He is very weak and can hardly talk. It is very difficult to know what else to say. He was asleep most of the time so I just sat there with him. Hopefully tomorrow there will be more nes but I cannot truthfully see that he can be released in the next few days unless he perks up remarkably.

SATURDAY UPDATE

I went in to see Dad this afternoon. The Vicar was there, sitting by the side of the bed holding his hand. Dad was asleep, and woke to see me. He was very weak and feeble, and spoke so quietly, that I could only just hear him over the background noise of the ward. He couldn't sit up, and found it very hard to communicate. I stayed for bnearly an hour, but we only exchanged a few words.

As far as I know he will be coming home next week, but if he does he will need fairly constant nursing care from us, because although there is nothing medically that will make him bneed to stay in hospital, he is - in my opinion at least - far to weak to do anything for himself....

FRIDAY ON MY MIND

Finally news....

And it is (with reservations) good. The results of the analysis of the fluid taken from Dad's lung are back, and there is no sign of cancerous cells. However, the CT scan was inconclusive, and there "may be" a tumour, but we don't know. Dad is very feeble, and he can hardly raise his voice above the hubbub of the ward. However, I spoke to a doctor, and it seems likely that he will be transferred - either to Bideford or back home - next week, unless his condition deteriorates.

THURSDAY UPDATE

Once again there is no real news. However, I spoke to the Ward Sister, and they are hoping that the doctor will bring the results of the scan when he does his ward round tomorrow morning. they are also going to do a bronchoscopy on Dad, and this may happen later on today.

This is all horribly frustrating, but I am afraid that we shall have to play a waitring game...

WEDNESDAY UPDATE

Graham and I went to the hospital again today. To our surprise there is no news whatsoever. Dad is very upset and tired, and it is heartbreaking to leave him there each day, with absolutely nothing that I can say or do to help him. He looks very small and frail, and I know that the frustration of not being able to make any decisions about his future is frustrating him as badly as it is me...

Remember us in your prayers.

TUESDAY UPDATE

"The good news you cannot refuse
The bad news is there is no news"
SCOTT WALKER "Patriot"


That just about sums up today really. Dad is a little stronger but there is no news whatsoever. The doctor has told him that there will be a result some time today, but he cannot predict when. The background noise in the ward is so high that Dad can hardly make himself heard above the hubbub. He finds this horribly frustrating, and therefore doesn't like me (or any other visitor) staying for more than half an hour. Therefore, we must wait for tomorrow before we hear anything.

I am not dealing with this as well as I had hoped and I can only thank Oll, Mark and Grasham for keeping me together. Thanks guys........

MONDAY UPDATE

Graham and I have just returned from the hospital. On the plus side, Dad is stronger and more lucid than he was yesterday. However, they have found a "shadow" on the X-Ray of his left lung, and he is being given a MRI Scan as we speak. There will not be a discernable result until at least tomorrow, and I am not expecting any news until my visit tothe hospital tomorrow afternoon. because of new rules governing patient confidentiality they will be unable to tell me anything on the phone, and so I will have to wait and see the doctor personally.

Many thanks again for everyone who has telephoned, or visited, or sent emails of support. I am finding this all a bit difficult to deal with, and I am more grateful than I can put into words for all yoursupport.

SUNDAY UPDATE

Graham and I visited the hospital today and saw Dad. Although he is responding to treatment and healing well, he is very frail, and the hustle and bustle of a busy hospital ward is - in my opinion - proving too much for him. According to the Staff Nurse to whom I spoke, nothing much is likely to happen until we have the results of the analysis currently being carried out on the fluid that was removed from his chest. When these tests are complete, he will probably be moved to Bideford, and then eventually, home.

Thank you once again to everyone who has telephoned, emailed, or visited. Your support is gratefully appreciated at this difficult time. (Thanks to Mark and Olly who are keping the home fires burning as I speak).

SATURDAY EVENING UPDATE

There ain't much to add really. Mark and I went to see Dad today. He is recovering nicely, and we hope that he will be transferred back to Bideford hospital in a day or two. The drain has been taken out and he seems to be improving.

SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE

Having just spoken to the Staff Nurse on the ward, I am pleased to say that Dad had a quiet night and seems to be progressing as well as can be expected. We will be visiting him this afternoon...

FRIDAY UPDATE

Not much news today, so I guess that the old adage that `no news is good news` holds true. Graham and I went to see him today, and he is considerably brighter than he was yesterday. We spoke to his doctor who told us that he was `on the mend`, and it is hard not to agree with him. They will be taking the drain out soon,and he should be on the way back to Bideord to recuperate within the next few days.

Thank you to everyone who has called giving good wishes.

By the way - his new book `Fragrant Harbours, Distant rivers - Making of Modern Africa` is out today. Dad is very proud of it - as are we - and he has been showing his first copy round the ward. I wonder if we can get it stocked in the hospital bookshop? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

THURRSDAY UPDATE...........

Mark and I have just got back from the hospital. We arrived on the ward just before 10.30 and it took over five hours for us to see Dad's doctor. However the news is generally good. They have drained over two litres of fluid from his chest, and were still draining as we left. He has had a sdecond chest xray, basically to find out whether his right lung is returning to normal. There is no indication as yet as to what has caused the pleural effusion, but test results will be back in a few days.

Although he was quite confused and upset when we arrived, by the time we left - especially after a visit from the vicar - he was feeling somewhat better. He will probably be transferred to Bideford Hospital sometime next week.

Thank you again for your good wishes, prayers and support

WESNESDAY TEATIME UPDATE

Mark and I went to see Dad this afternoon. He is still in the Medical Assessment Unit, but is likely to be moved later today. He is calmer than he was yesterday, but still horridly frail. His stiff upper lip - as anyone who knows him will not be surprised to here - is jutting out marvellously, and he is not only being incredibly brave about it all but is even managing to get some humour out of the situation.

As we left he was going to get an ultrasound scan, so we may have some more news later

Wednesday Update

I spoke to the hospital this morning, and was told that he had a quiet night. There is no more news available, except that the diagnoseis is confirmed. Pleural Effusion is what- in the old days - they called `wet pleurisy`. The hospital told me that they have not started the draining procedure yet because they are continuing their investigations. Mark and I will be going to the hospital in an hour or so. We should have more information later.

In the mean time, the CFZ office is still open, manned by Graham and John, and - from friday - by Olly. It is business as usual.

Mark and I will maintain these updates.

Finally, my brother and I would like to thank you all for your kindness and support at this difficult time.