John Weymes OBE (1927-2022)

John Barnard Weymes was born on 18th October 1927, son of Irene and Stanley Weymes. They lived in a small bungalow in Fawdon.  John attended Coxlodge Primary school and it was from there that he won a scholarship to Dame Allan’s School. Had it not been for the direct grant system under which Dame Allan’s operated at the time there is no way he could have attended such a prestigious school.

With war threatening he was among the children evacuated to Wigton, in Cumbria, and then to Windermere. He didn’t like it much but was too stoic to return home except for the occasional visit on his bike when it was judged safe to do so. He was away until 1944, most of his formative years. When Dame Allan’s students returned at the end of the war he continued the last two years to A levels and gained good grades. When conscription was inevitable, John was called up and given the choice of joining the army or going down the mine as a Bevin Boy. Having opted for the army he was enrolled into the Tank Corps at Catterick Garrison and ever thereafter claimed he could drive through any gap. Later he was given a post in the Education Department.

Two years later he took up a place at King’s College, Newcastle, to read Geography. He found it difficult to settle, so when the opportunity came up for an open competition throughout the UK to join the Civil Service he was persuaded to apply and came in the top eight in the exam. As the result of an interview, he was assigned to the Foreign Office in 1949 and remained in London until 1952.

His first posting was to Panama (1952-1956) as a junior member of the Embassy. The Queen was on her post-coronation tour with Prince Philip, and John was given the task of seeing to their transport whilst there. Upon their arrival, the cars booked for the Quayside did not turn up so he had to commandeer various vehicles wherever he could find them. This must have been quite funny, looking back! Luckily the whole thing passed off well, without the royal party being aware of anything untoward.

Later came Colombia in 1956-1960 followed by Berlin in 1960-1963. He saw the Wall go up in 1961 and when the route through East Berlin to the West was opened up again he regularly travelled through Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin to assist British travellers detained in East Berlin for one reason or another. There was a time when the border guards would not let him through until he surrendered his watch.

Between 1968-1970 John worked at No. 10 Downing Street in P.M. Harold Wilson’s office answering the many letters received daily from the public. One disgruntled member sent a package of fish & chips through the post because they were not cooked to his liking!

In 1970, he was posted to Guatemala as Consul for four years during a difficult time for diplomats in an unsettled country. The West German Ambassador had recently been assassinated and the Foreign Office advised John to get a gun, a fierce dog and not to get kidnapped. It was a close run thing when his office got shot up and, had he not crossed the courtyard moments earlier, he would have been killed. Unfortunately, his bodyguard was not so lucky, an event John mourned ever after.

He was passionate about cricket, chess and reading. As a member of the MCC for nearly 47 years, he would often invite his grandsons to watch the cricket at Lord’s where he would join them in the general stands rather than stay with the members.

In 1977-1978 he became Consul-General in Vancouver followed by an appointment as British Ambassador to Honduras from 1978-1981.  His second meeting with HM the Queen was when he and his wife, Beverley, had a private audience at the palace, a very privileged and memorable occasion.

John ended his career in the Cayman Islands where he was the press officer for the government news bureau. It was the time of the Falkland’s war and over £2 million pounds was raised by that one tiny community towards the war effort in what the Caymanians called ‘Mother Needs Your Help’. John had to prod London into giving a proper reception and thanks for the generous contribution. In recognition, HM the Queen made an extraordinary stop during her Caribbean tour (Cayman’s tax arrangements made this a delicate topic) to thank the islanders. So, John again was asked to help organise the visit to the extent of writing all the speeches. He also wrote the Queen’s speech and was once more received by the Queen and Prince Philip who recognised him as her Ambassador to Honduras.

He never forgot Dame Allan’s and all the school had done for him. He was always very proud of having been a pupil there and frequently recounted tales of events at school, particularly the evacuation, and teachers he looked up to who had tried the make things easier.  He was delighted to attend the Founder’s Day Service in 2017 at the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas and celebrations afterwards at the school.

When he finally retired he was given an OBE for his services to the country. He passed away peacefully at the age of 94 and was much loved by all who knew him.