Alan Webb: 1933 – 2020

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We regret to report the death of Alan Webb who many people in the town will remember with fondness and affection. Alan died peacefully at home on Monday, November 23 at the age of 86, and his family have provided the following obituary.

Alan Frederick Webb was born on December 2nd 1933 at home at 39 Cinque Ports Street to Leonard and Rosalind Webb, a local family whose bakery business was at the Windmill in Rye. Aged eight his schooling was interrupted by the second world war and Alan was sent to St Joseph’s Salesian School, a Catholic boys boarding school in Burwash, East Sussex followed by the Salesian College in Cowley, Oxford.

Having achieved his school certificate, and the most beautiful handwriting skills, his father permitted him to leave school at the age of 15. A short stint working in a bakery in Worthing was followed by a two-year course at the National Bakery School in London from 1950, where Alan achieved the certification of master baker as well as a future career path, like it or not.

However, national service beckoned and a two-year stint in the RAF from 1952 was a welcome change. After, and even during, national service Alan worked in the family business when on leave.

Long service with St John Ambulance

Alan volunteered with St John Ambulance in Rye from 1956 as an ambulance medic, on-call at weekends and nights when not baking. He gave many hours service for the benefit of others, on one occasion delivering a baby in the back of an ambulance at Kent Ditch Corner.

His long service led eventually to the rank of divisional superintendent of Rye St John Ambulance. He was awarded the honour of serving brother of The Order of St John, and following retirement from active duty Alan was made president of Rye St John Ambulance.

In 1962 Alan married Janet Bourne, daughter of Stan and Ida Bourne who owned T Bourne and Sons furniture removal and haulage business. In 1964 Alan’s brother Michael moved on from the family bakery and Alan, a third generation of the Webb family to be at the Windmill, and Janet then ran the business. Alan baked while Janet ran the retail shop in Cinque Ports Street, and their door-to-door bread deliveries made three times a week to loyal customers in the villages around Rye were an important part of the business.

Children came along in 1965, 1968 and 1972 when David, Sally and Richard were born. In 1965 Alan took up flying as a hobby, learning to fly in Shoreham which meant a two-hour journey each way on Sunday morning after working six nights a week.

Crash landing in a field

Soon after qualifying as a pilot and with only one hour’s solo flying experience under his belt Alan’s plane had an engine failure on take-off and he had to crash-land in a field. His calmness meant he did not rush to call his wife about the incident, only for her to find out when the national papers called her for a comment!

In 1970 Alan was invited by Bert Catt to join the Rye Bench, serving as a justice of the peace for 33 years. Law and order in Rye benefited from Alan’s sense of right and wrong: familiar faces cropped up often and justice was fair and local.

In 1972 Alan had a work-related injury and nearly lost his right hand. This enforced time off may have provided an opportunity to reflect on the bakery business, which closed in 1976.

Alan and Janet purchased Ye Olde Tuck Shoppe in Market Street from Len Rogers; this was a much smaller bakery where Alan could be hands-on, making top quality artisan products.

From the oven to the bench

The shop was situated opposite the town hall so if the magistrates court was short of a justice of the peace Alan could be asked at very short notice to make up numbers, sometimes making a quick dash to W J Bennetts men’s clothing store around the corner to buy a tie. Alan chaired the final sitting of Rye Magistrates Court at the town hall before the merging of Rye’s court with Hastings’ in 1993.

During these years Alan’s children were growing up and often he would play devil’s advocate in ANY argument going. Blue eyes are better than brown anyone? All this was done with a joy for language and a kindness that always kept the discussion on the right side of friendly: his joy was language, not offence.

In addition, Alan joined the board of the Rye Mutual Building Society and was involved in the takeover and merger with Eastbourne Mutual Building Society (now Halifax) where he was a board member.

In 1994 Alan and Janet retired and Alan pursued his love of flying, becoming a founder member of Lydd Aero Club in 2000. Lunch in Le Touquet; weekend trips to central France, Belgium, Germany and the Channel Islands; and longer flights to Morocco, Gibraltar and Corfu all followed, and all were his joy and his passion.

Flying slowed to a walk

Unfortunately in 2010, at the age of 76, Alan had a stroke which changed everything. He recovered enough to have independence, his need to travel now restricted, but his ability to make people feel good undiminished, and he enjoyed regular evening walks to local pubs around Playden.

Alan and Janet moved to 53 Cinque Ports Street in November 2015, only a few doors along from where he was born. Now the Standard, the Cinque Ports and the Waterworks became his nightly haunts where he was always given a warm welcome which he valued: he could sit with a glass of wine and watch the world go by and talk to friendly faces, even when he did not remember them. Daily bus rides to Hastings became a source of freedom, celebrated with a glass of wine in the Whistle Trago Bar in Hastings Old Town.

Alan worked hard, gave his time to good causes, and enjoyed his hobbies. Latterly he enjoyed his relationships with his four grandchildren, Stanley, Abigail, Lucy and Rosemary and being part of their lives. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather who will be missed dearly.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. I must have known Alan and Janet, Michael and Vee for around forty years and there are many stories but the one that sticks with me occurred on the morning following The Great Storm of 1987. I recall Alan telling me that he had left home in the very early hours as usual, on his way to the bakery to set the morning loaves. Walking into Rye and up Hilders Cliff he noticed that it was really quite windy but he realised that it was really quite extraordinarily windy when he entered the High Street and roof tiles were acting like frisbees and flower pots were merrily bowling everywhere. He was literally walking around in the eye of that lethal hurricane. He still went on to make the morning’s bread though. A lovely man, with the finest manners of a true gentleman. A rarity. He will be missed.

  2. Beautiful obituary – he was a gentleman and such an interesting man to talk to – his presence in Rye will be sorely missed.

  3. So sorry to hear about the passing of Alan, he was a proper gentleman always able to rise your spirits when you met him.
    This world will miss him especially the people in this lovely town of Rye.
    My condolences to his family.
    Dave Benn

  4. My condolences to David and Sally and the Webb Family. Your dad was always a friendly guy when I would see him when I lived in Rye many years ago. And the Tuck Shop was a favourite place to go.

  5. I remember sitting as a very new magistrate in the Town Hall with Alan who often whizzed over the road from the Olde Tucke Shoppe with a fine dusting of flour on his best bib and tucker! He was an excellent magistrate, with a kind, even-handed approach to all who appeared before him. I know that his work over many years in the Family Court was hugely appreciated – especially by the families involved.

  6. Rye has lost so many interesting characters in recent years. ALan will go down as one of the nicest and gentlest.
    Condolences to the family- he will definitely be missed.
    Sheila and Christopher Melchers.

  7. So sad to hear of the death of Alan Webb
    We enjoyed meeting Alan on our evening walks around Rye
    especially during the lock down, we had such lovely chats trying
    to put the world to rights.
    A lovely man, a great pleasure to have known him.
    Our sincere condolences to all the family.
    Kind Regards
    Lynda & Steve Costas
    Ex Residents of Rye

  8. One of life’s really nice people. I knew Alan from Lydd Aero Club – always had time for people and never a bad word spoken. I’ll miss him a lot.

  9. Very sad to hear the news! Many a time would we be in the wine bar in cinque port street and Alan would come in and sit with his glass of wine and have a good old chat! An amazing tribute to him and only bumping into him during the last 10 year’s hadn’t appreciated what a interesting and varied life he had had!

  10. I first met Alan in the early 60’s when I joined the St John Ambulance cadets, a kind man to us kids and a true gentleman.
    My condolences to Alan’s family

  11. For information purposes, owing to covid-19 restrictions, none of Alan’s friends in the local community will be able to attend his funeral. However, if anyone wishes to make a donation in his memory, it will go to the St John’s Ambulance and should be sent to Ellis Bros indicating that it is in memory of Alan Webb.

  12. Another great Ryer gone, haven’t seen Alan seen March because of Lockdown, but he would always speak if my wife and myself saw him in the Cinque ports prior to that, I remember as a milkman calling into Tuckshop to collect weekly money. Always had time to talk. One thing I can say is I’ve been lucky to have known Alan since I was a young child, I can say with great pride he was my Godfather, and I have never forgotten that.
    I would have loved to attended service and said my goodbyes, but because of Pandemic it’s not possible. So my goodbyes are in the my heart only.
    Rest in peace Alan, your memories will live on.
    And my thoughts are with Janet and her family at this sad time.

  13. One quick memory of a lovely man.
    When the Icklesham Bypass was planned and Save the Brede Valley group formed, I said to Alan in passing that aerial photos would be useful. Within days Alan flew me not only up and down the Brede Valley, but over to Folkestone and Dover to see work under way on the Channel Tunnel.
    Many thanks Alan.

  14. I had the pleasure of working in the olde tucke shoppe for Alan and Janet and was lucky enough to have a flight from Lydd airport, he flew us over Rye, the harbour where we live and surrounding villages with Alan piloting. I’ll never forget it. He was always keen for a chat over a drink. Rest in peace Alan

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