TILLEY

Thomas William Stuart Watchorn

 

Thomas William Stuart Watchorn was born on 17 January 1924 to Benjamin Watchorn (1880-1954) and Edith Bust (1883-1951). He was the youngest of six children: May, Katie, Norman, Rowland and Isobel. Stuart lived and went to school in Bingham but when he was 14 and lived in Aslockton, he started work for Mr Kent (a local baker) baking bread in the mornings and in the afternoons delivering bread on the bakery bike. When he was 17 he left home and went to stay with his eldest sister May and brother-in-law Bill Anyan, at Charlton Horethorne. While living there he worked on the building of a nearby aerodrome as a dumper truck driver but moved to Swindon to help dig communal graves, for possible war casualties.

 

In 1943, he joined the Royal Army Service Corps and for a short time was stationed at Endcliffe Hall, teaching new recruits how to drive (and ferry pontoon bridge building supplies). Later he was stationed with 128th Bridge Company and just after D-Day, drove his army vehicle through France, the Low Countries, Germany, Austria and briefly in Italy. During his army years he was a keen footballer and played for his company team. His commanding officer, Captain Carter, insisted that Stuart be allowed to wear civilian shoes and be spared 'square bashing', to make sure that his feet were 'fit for purpose'.
 

Stuart met his future wife Rene at a dance and their romance blossomed. They were married on 3 November 1945 and after being demobbed in June 1947, Stuart rented his first family home, 12 Pisgah House Road, at 10s 6d a week. He found employment with the Sheffield & Ecclesall (S&E) Co-operative and eventually became manager of an S&E greengrocery shop but 14 years later, decided to work for Sheffield City Council's Works Department and never looked back. Having started as a labourer he soon became the driver of a JCB digger and took great pride in his work and his machine, passing on many of his skills to new drivers.
 

One of Stuart's greatest achievements was being a loving father to his three sons, Robert, Andrew and Brian, and bringing them up in a happy loving home. (Stuart would often work as a gardener to earn extra money to support his family.) He showed a keen interest in his boys' activities (particularly their love for scouting) and he and Rene enjoyed camping holidays, long after their retirement. An end of an era came when he and Rene moved home after nearly 50 years. 
 

Stuart loved gardening. He transformed a bare yard at No 12 into something beautiful and often admired; worked on a barren piece of land, improved his ground-floor flat's shared yard and looked after the flats' car park and surrounding area. Stuart was as busy after retirement as he was before e.g. for 15 years he was part of a small team helping provide lunches for a community luncheon club.      
 

Throughout his life Stuart was strong willed, determined, not a quitter and was known for being friendly, considerate, outgoing and caring. Stuart died on 20 March 2013.