It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of John Horne.
John Home joined the army in 1951, trained as a lineman and rose to the rank of sergeant, the highest rank he could reach whilst still practising his trade.
After trade training John was posted to 19th Air Formation Signals (1952-55). Here his technical competence, integrity and ability to work on his own was soon noted and he spent time on the isolated RAF airfield on Car Nicobar Island in the Indian Ocean where he was the only member of the corps on the island.
On leaving the Army after a full career of 22 years he joined his local old comrades association, the Birmingham Branch of the Royal Signals Association, and the Royal British Legion. Later still he was to join the Air Formation Signals Association (AFSA) and 19th Signal Regiment Association (19 SRA). He became Standard Bearer and committee member of the AFSA parading the Standard at national reunions at Blandford, at funerals, and on Remembrance Sundays and Armistice Days.
In 2004 19th Signal Regiment Association was seeking a suitable venue for national reunions 'somewhere in the midlands'. John offered to look in his area and found the Hilton Hotel just outside Warwick. This was ideal for our purposes. He also contacted a local coach hire firm and he and Joyce slid gracefully into the role of Reunion Organisers. John also assumed the duties of General Secretary and Joyce became Welfare Officer. John and Joyce were a strong and formidable team.
At our reunion in 2018 John was awarded a Royal Signals Association '50 Year1 badge in recognition of 67 years continuous service in uniform and as an active member of the Royal Signals Association,
For the past two years or so John suffered from failing eyesight and became increasingly weak eventually to be told that he had a 'terminal condition'. Joyce cared for him at home, aided by two district nurses who called each day but eventually he had to move into a hospice where he died a couple of days later on November 18th.
His funeral on November 30th was attended by four standard bearers. Two from his local British Legion Branchs another from the Birmingham Branch of the RSA and his own, AFSA standard, paraded by the President of the Birmingham Branch, our old friend George Hedge. His coffin was draped with a union flag provided by the Henley-in-Arden British Legion branch and the congregation, limited under coronavirus lockdown rules, included the four standard bearers and his two grandchildren from Ireland.
