It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of Ray Stutley who was 94 years old. He worked for Bassett-Lowke from 1931 to 1980. He was a truly talented man and told me how lucky he was to have been employed in a job that he loved. He even returned after he had retired to work on some special models.
He was also a former President of The Northampton Operatic Society and earlier this year he received a gold bar award for long service, he proudly showed me the photographs when I visited him in the week before his death. He was always so very interested in what we were up to at 78 and had loaned some very interesting pieces to us for public display. Ray had also been awarded a Life Membership of the Friends of 78. He had many photographs of himself with various ship models that he had worked on over the years. He was a handsome man and, when he was younger, had also been a model. If you have a copy of Janet Bassett-Lowke’s biography about her uncle, you will find a chapter about Ray. Janet and Ray were good friends as they both started working for Bassett-Lowke in the same year.
Once more we lose another link to the past, and a dear friend of 78.