Page 4 - HGS Suburb News 150 - Summer 2022
P. 4

S U B U R B
            PEOPLE



                                                                                Photo:
                                                                         From the Littaur
                                                                          family archives

                                Evelyn Fox along with their youngest  Highgate and took to Suburb life
       David                    daughter Joyce. The cruise was  like ducks to water. Both felt they
                                                          had finally come home to a
                                cut short due the start of WW2
                                and the family remained in  community they had craved. They
       Littaur                  Argentina for 3 years. David and  relished the sense of camaraderie
                                                          and the active community
                                Joyce corresponded throughout
                                this time. When David finally  engagement and formed bonds,
                                came back to London he enrolled  ties and friendships that enriched
       1925 - 2022              in the RAF and spent a couple of  the rest of their lives. David’s role
                                years in Canada before finally
                                                          as Chair of the Events Committee,
                                marrying Joyce, his sweetheart  his involvement with both
                                and family friend, in 1948. It was a  Fellowship House and the Proms
      A true gentleman          true love indeed. They celebrated  at St Jude’s, gave him purpose
                                their 70th wedding anniversary in
                                                          and pleasure over many years.
      in every sense            2018 with their local Suburb  Well into his nineties, he managed
                                friends only 2 months before my
                                                          to organise and orchestrate
      of the word               sweet grandmother passed away.  events through meetings, emails,
                                   David had a love and
                                                          and his iPhone which was never
                                appreciation for culture and  far from him. Technology certainly
                                music from a very early age. He  wasn’t going to deter him.
      RACHEL MONTAGU            played the clarinet, violin, and  Focused and always interested
                                piano, and enrolled at the  in others, David was an astute
          avid Allan Littaur ,was born  Guildhall of Music. He followed  listener and so interested in the     and Jean were great supporters of
           on the 10th September  his passion for music and became  respected by so many and made Jean         the Fellowship, running weekly
                                                          world around him. He was well
      D1925 at home in Brook    a conductor. My grandparents                                                   musical afternoons, and of the
      Street, Mayfair. The only child to  travelled the world with the various  everyone feel special – from his  Garden Suburb Theatre, which
      Elsie and Marcus Littaur, my  orchestras. They both loved to  family and friends to the taxi  Neal       Tim joined as a young man,
      grandfather was raised in a  travel, meet new people (often  driver, receptionist or waiter.             playing many roles, often in the
      privileged household and taught  forming lasting friendships) and  Non-judgemental, modern, warm,        open air theatre in Little Wood.
      to appreciate the finer things in  they were both very particular  courteous, and charming, he           He is particularly remembered by
      life. His mother was very particular  about eating good food. My  would look you right in the eye        many for his portrayal of the Judge
      about how he was dressed and  grandfather strived for beauty and  with a beaming smile and child-  1922 - 2022  in Toad of Toad Hall.
      behaved socially and this never  perfection and this is probably  like excitement. He leaves behind         Jean was born in Middlesbrough
      left him. His shoes were always  why he was so successful as a  a wonderful legacy of appreciating       but spent most of her childhood
      highly polished, he wore a suit, tie  conductor and arranging events;  how to be ‘in the moment’ and to  in Norwich. She attended
      and jacket at every occasion and  always determined that it would be  celebrate life to the full, to be  Newnham College, Cambridge, at
      his manners were impeccable. He  perfect and beautiful for everyone.  optimistic, kind and interested in  a time when women were not
      was a perfect gentleman.  A regular ballet, opera, recital and  others, to be well mannered and          awarded degrees: she was able to
         David was educated by private  concert goer, he loved the  charitable. He believed in paying          claim it only many years later. She
      tutors (he was invited to play at  combination of the audio and visual.  it forward.                     went on to work at Bletchley Park
      the Palace with the princesses  Before his hearing deteriorated he  Even with all of the many            where she met Alan Turing, whom
      Elizabeth and Margaret as they  would listen, compose, and play  privileges life afforded him, my        she encountered again when she
      shared a French tutor) before  music on a daily basis with a huge  grandfather remained humble and       worked at the National Physical
      being sent off to study at Clifton  appreciation for tone and  grateful for the affection and            Laboratory. Later she made a
      College in Bristol at the age of 13.  context. Along with Joyce, music  engagement he received in return.  career as a legal indexer, working
         In 1939, the family embarked  was most definitely his passion.  David Littaur was a true gentleman    for the publisher Butterworths.
      on a three week cruise, waved off  In 1998, my grandparents  who will never be forgotten in the          The photo shows Jean at her
       GAD_Enfranchisement_SuburbNews_137mm x 120mm_Layout 1  08/02/2021  09:46  Page 1
      by their good friends Cecil and  moved to the Suburb from  Suburb and further afield.                    100th birthday party last year,
                                                                                                               wearing the Légion d’honneur she
                                                                                                               was awarded by the French
                                                                                                               Government for her wartime work
                                                                                                               at Bletchley Park. As well as
            Introducing Graham Jaffe                                                  Photo: Colin Gregory     receiving a card from The Queen
                                                                                                               she also received the Defence
                                                                                                               Medal in recognition of her
                                                                                     COLIN GREGORY
            Leasehold                                                                 ean Neal, one of the Suburb’s  contribution to the defence of the
                                                                                                               Nation. Her passing marks the
                                                                                      oldest residents, died on 26th  end of an era.
            Enfranchisement                                                          JMarch just short of her 101st  MARY WHITING
                                                                                     birthday. She and her husband
                                                                                     Tim were active members of many
                                                                                     Suburb organisations and were  number of people might
            Expert                                                                   Honorary Life Members of the RA.  remember Jean Neal for her
                                                                                     For many years they organised A long involvement with
                                                                                     distribution of Suburb News. Tim  Fellowship House music sessions
                                                                                     served as a member of the RA  which she ran, and the also long-
            Buying your freehold or extending your                                   Council and later as the first chair  running pensioners’ lunch club for
                                                                                     of the newly formed Trees and  which she did most (and usually all)
            lease contact Graham for experienced                                     Open Spaces Committee. They  of the cooking. Indeed Jean, and her
                                                                                     were both keen naturalists and  husband Tim, were stalwarts of the
            specialist advice.                                                       loved the birdlife in their garden in  Fellowship Committee.
                                                                                     Meadway, on Hampstead Heath,  Jean’s cooking was famous!
            Call on 0208 209 2653                                                    in Big Wood and Little Wood and  As members of the then HGS
            Email gjaffe@gadlegal.co.uk                                              further afield, where they often  Gourmet Society, she and Tim,
                                                                                     went on bird watching holidays.  gave memorable summer and New
                                                                                     Tim grew up on the Suburb in the  Year parties for the whole society.
                                                                                     house his parents bought in 1914,  In addition, Jean and Tim gave
            www.gadlegal.co.uk                                                       and Jean continued to live there  their locally famous ‘Oxfam
            746 Finchley Road NW11 7TH                                               until her death. Tim was one of  lunches’ in their house, where, for
                                                                                     the narrators of the 1975 Suburb  a small fee, people crowded in to
            Gregory Abrams Davidson Solicitors is a trading                          film, made to mark European  eat home-made rolls and soup
            name of National Law Partners Limited.
                                                                                     Architectural Heritage Year,  and buy various donated items.
                                                                                     alongside Sir Donald Sinden. Tim  Always an event not to be missed.
      4                                                                         SUBURB NEWS IS PRODUCED AND DELIVERED TO YOU BY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS
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