Obituary

John Dalton (1922 - 2010)

John Dalton was born at Nenthead on 4 September 1922. He attended Nenthead Council School from 1927 to 1934 and then Alston Grammar School from 1934 to 1940. He then joined the Royal Corps of Signals and, on completion of training, was sent to India, where he was posted to an Indian Army Unit for the remainder of the war. This Unit was the 6th Indian Air Formation Signals, part of the 14th Army, formed in Meerut, India in 1943. He travelled with this unit across India to Assam and Bengal and then to Imphal on the border between Manipur State and Burma. Whilst at Imphal the Unit was surrounded by the Japanese for about three months in 1944. Then came the push against the Japanese and the Unit was in continuous advance through Manipur State into Burma, finally reaching Mandalay just after its re-capture. John then continued with his Unit, as part of the 14th Army, right down through Burma to reach Rangoon just before the surrender of the Japanese in 1945.

Demobbed from the army in 1946 John taught as an unqualified teacher at local schools while awaiting a training place and then, in 1950, qualified as a teacher. He taught at Cummersdale School for five and a half years and was then posted to Bowness-on- Solway School before being appointed Temporary Head at Hayton Church of England School from Sept 1956 to September 1957. From there he was posted to Houghton Church of England School until January 1959, when he was appointed as Head at Cotehill School. John remained as Headteacher at Cotehill School until his retirement in 1981. During this period John was the secretary of the North Cumbria Association of the NUT for 16 years and was twice president. He was also an executive member of the Cumbria Division of the NUT for the whole of this period and on retiring he was made a life member of the Cumbria Division of the NUT and also a trustee.

Away from work John was a member of Morton Park Hall Assembly since its inception in 1954 and treasurer for thirty two and a half years. He was also superintendent of the Sunday School for seven years. In addition John was a Foundation Trustee of the Emmaus House Residential Care Home at Whitehaven from its inception until his retirement at the age of 72. In his later years John was a member of the Newtown and Wigton Road Methodist church. When not occupied with all of these commitments John was a keen gardener and spent much of his spare time working with Marjorie, his wife, in his garden and allotment. John died peacefully at the Cumberland Infirmary on Sunday 28 February 2010. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, daughter Caroline, and son Andrew with wife Karen and three grandchildren, Mark, Kate and Charlotte.