Tower and Town, March 2017 (view the full edition)Family NewsSarah Bowyer died just before Christmas. She came to live here a few months ago and quickly got to know people at St. Mary's Church through the Church Study Group and the Alpha Course. She sang in the choir at the Christmas Services in Marlborough and Minal. Her friends were shocked at her death and send their deep sympathy to her father, sisters and brother. Vanessa Lafaye who started and runs our Marlborough Community Choir is also an author. The choir is joining her at the launch of her second novel, 'At First Light', a follow up to 'Summertime' which was a great success. They are set in her home state of Florida. Congratulations to Vanessa! Ian Neilson, Lieut. Colonel, RA (Retd.), DFC, Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, TD, BL has died aged 98. He will be very much missed by Alison and their daughter, Catherine, and son, Hamish, and their families. They came to Marlborough in 1983 - thirty years after a brief stay while they searched for a house nearer London. Ian was a regular attender at Christchurch and for 12 years he edited Tower & Town when there was one editor for all the editions. He advised the St. Peter's and St. Paul's Trust on legal matters for 27 years, besides polishing a lot of brass and copper. He was a keen golfer and a member of Probus. He was President of Marlborough British Legion. He played an important role in the D Day Landings in 1944, locating an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) site for the Air Observation Post. This was to enable the small unarmed Auster planes to take off and land on their missions to report on and direct gunfire from the Royal Artillery and Navy ships towards the German defenders. Ian flew 55 sorties from that ALG during June and July, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1945. He became a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 2015; the medal was awarded by the French to those who were involved in the landings in France in 1944. In a break from flying, he was tasked with drawing three War Crimes Investigation Teams into one Unit in 1945/1946 - to operate in Northwest Europe. He had been cared for by Alison (to whom he was married for over 71 years), Catherine and Hamish at home in Kingsbury Street until recently when he went to Brendoncare after a period in hospital. Our sympathy to Alison and all the family. Audrey Peck |