My step-father Giles died in December of 2024 at the age of 87 after a period of poor health. He was quite a character and had an astonishing set of stories about his life, many of which were possibly even true.
His main interests were firearms and brass instruments. He was for a time Managing Director of the Sterling Armament Company, most famous for the Sterling submachine gun, better-known today as the standard weapon of the Imperial Stormtrooper in Star Wars.
Once retired, he turned his hand to making weapons, mainly exquisitely-decorated shotguns and big-bore elephant rifles. His most famous weapon is the absolutely gigantic 2-bore "Millenium Rifle" made for the Royal Armouries: Royal Armouries - what is this weapon?
He was also interested in the playing and making of brass instruments and had an extensive collection. He documented some of the more intriguing items in a series of videos on YouTube
He was a polyglot and spoke an extraordinary number of European and African languages. He once had a pet cheetah. And he almost shot a very famous pig.
He had a keen interest in eccentric cars, including, very briefly, a De Tomaso Mangusta. He says he got it from the showroom, took it up the M1, gave it the beans, and at 100mph the nose lifted off the ground. He turned right around, took it back to the showroom and demanded they refund his money.
His final odd cars were an NSU Ro80 which was one of the first successful applications of the wankel engine, and a Messerschmitt KR200 bubble car that was well-known around the village where he lived.
He is survived by his wife Meryl and a multitude of children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. His funeral was on on January 13th 2025 in Cambridgeshire.