Philip Winchcombe REME (1934 - 2015)

Born 30 Mar 1934 in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 15 Aug 2015 at age 81 in St Mary Bourne, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Brigadier Philip Winchcombe, REME, BScEng, CEng, MIMechE, FCMI (1934–2015) was a senior British Army officer.^[1]

Philip was born on 30 March 1934 in Devizes to Wallace Henry Winchcombe and his wife Ethel Florence Winchcombe née Lewis.^[2][3]

Philip passed away on 15 August 2015 in St Mary Bourne.^[3][4] It was written in the Andover Advertiser upon his passing:

Tributes have been paid to “inspirational” Brigadier Philip Winchcombe, who has died aged 81.

Mr Winchcombe was well known in the St Mary Bourne area, helping to raise more than £100,000 by organising 10 annual Bourne Valley races and fetes, upon his retirement, as well as his tennis and jazz events.

The former soldier and keen sportsman was diagnosed with leukaemia a couple of years ago and died at home on August 15.

Born in Devizes, Mr Winchcombe was married to Gill and had sons Paul and John.

The couple moved to St Mary Bourne in 1979 when Mr Winchcombe took up a Lieutenant Colonel’s post in Andover, only to find that he was to be promoted and moved to Leicester.

Upon retirement he helped organise 10 annual Bourne Valley races and fetes, followed by the Bourne Valley tennis tournaments and jazz concerts, which he organised for 20 years.

Mr Winchcombe also organised regular informal tennis sessions, started the Linkenholt Youth Activity Scheme, served on the Hampshire Playing Fields Association Executive Committee, joined the parish council and delivered parish magazines.

Mr Winchcombe was given four to six weeks to live but managed 15 “so, as usual, he outperformed”, his family said, thanking the NHS and the Countess of Brecknock hospice for their support.

In a statement sent to the Advertiser, Mr Winchcombe’s sons John and Paul added: “Our father was one of life’s positive people.

“He believed in making things happen and getting things done, always with the most fun possible in the process.

“You only occasionally meet his like, and when you do, be grateful, smile and join in.”^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Andover Advertiser. “Tributes to ‘Inspirational’ Brigadier Who Helped Raise More than £100,000 for Local Causes,” September 1, 2015. https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/13638001.tributes-to-inspirational-brigadier-who-helped-raise-more-than-100000-for-local-causes/.
2. ↑ "England & Wales Births 1837-2006", FindMyPast. First name(s): Philip; Last name: Winchcombe; Birth quarter: 2; Birth year: 1934; Mother's maiden name: Lewis; District: Devizes; County: Wiltshire; Country: England; Volume: 5A; Page: 124. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=BMD%2FB%2F1934%2F2%2FAZ%2F001314%2F029.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.. Name: Philip Winchcombe; Birth Date: 30 Mar. 1934; Birth Place: Devizes, Wiltshire Unitary Authority, Wiltshire, England; Death Date: 15 Aug. 2015; Death Place: St Mary Bourne, Basingstoke and Deane Borough, Hampshire, England; Cemetery: St Peter Churchyard; Burial or Cremation Place: St Mary Bourne, Basingstoke and Deane Borough, Hampshire, England; Has Bio?: Y; URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/261270049/philip-winchcombe. Ancestry Record 60526 #232178946.
4. ↑ GreyPower Deceased Data; compiled by Wilmington Millennium; West Yorkshire, England; England and Wales Death Indexes. Name: Mr Philip Winchcombe; Gender: Male; Last Residence: Andover, Andover, England; Postal Code District: Sp11; Death Date: 15 Aug. 2015. Ancestry Record 60630 #9194783.