Northampton, UK – Ken Moakes died in April, after a short time in hospital, aged 79, of cardiac and renal failure. To me, starting out with African Leather magazine, He was both advisor and friend. He and the late Barry Nash (and unnamed others) would send me a monthly gossip column on the leather trade – never malicious, but generally deliberately not widely known either – under the pseudonym ‘Umsuki’. Loyal readers included Jim and Gerda Moyes of Western Tanning, who accused him of being behind it, which he would stoutly deny. Whenever I was faced with technical leather information I didn’t understand – which was often – he would supply the answer. I dined out with him from time to time, generally at the German Club in Westville, no doubt as a “customer”. When he returned to the UK, suede maker C.F. Stead & Co. sent him to Taiwan, then to Pakistan. His emails from those countries, which he sadly wouldn’t let me use in the magazine, were travelogues combined with leather making, and were immensely readable. After his retirement, he wrote me a monthly column about the Northampton Leather Museum. In return, I posted him tobacco – a mixture of Amphora and Rum & Maple, I think, which I divided into 4 envelopes, then flattened for a week under a pile of telephone directories (remember them?) before posting. They all got through, although once or twice he suspected they’d been opened. In the English soccer season, he’d phone me weekly to let me know when my team would be playing, and to tell me how Arsenal was slowly returning to its “rightful position”. He’d also pull my leg about watching Formula 1 – what is it about otherwise sensible people and that cacophony of stupidity? Rushed to hospital – then discharged – several weeks before his death, he joked being driven at speed under a blaring siren had “been on my bucket list”.
He was married twice, first to Patricia, with whom he had Jonty, and then to Judi. Both predeceased him. He leaves Jonty and Khurshed and their children, and his sister, Sheila, and as can be seen below, many friends.
Nigel Dunning, retired, formerly NTE Company
I first met Ken in the early 1980s. He had recently arrived in South Africa from the UK and was working for Fredisco. Ken was a really likable person, always laughing and with a joke or amusing story at hand, and he had an amazing sense of humour. After Fredisco Ken joined TFL and later Buckman Laboratories where he remained until he left SA.
He was actively involved with the SLTC where Judy, his wife, was secretary.
After moving back to the UK, he worked for a short time with C.F. Stead and then Thomas Ware and Sons, a vegetable tannery in Bristol. I was lucky to meet up with Ken again in Northampton just before Covid hit and we had a very enjoyable evening with David Sherwood, Peter Atkinson and Matt Dunning. It is so sad to hear of Ken’s passing. He will be greatly missed!
Len Crozier, retired, formerly Clariant and TST Agencies
We did not meet each other until we were both in South Africa. I had applied for a position at Mossop Leather and I found out some time later that Ken had also applied for the same position. We also found out that Ken had been working a few miles away from where I was working when we were in the UK but we had never met. It’s hard to believe, but myself, Ken and Roger Kilpin had been applying for the same positions at various companies over the years.
It later turned out that Tony Mossop helped to organize a job with Peter Schneider, the Plascon agent.
When Margaret and I lived in Cape Town, Ken used to stay over with us when he was visiting Western Tanning. He loved to cook, and we also loved him to cook, and he was good. One late afternoon, Ken was preparing beef wellington when there was a knock at the door and it was a Kirby (top of the range vacuum cleaner) salesman who wanted to give us a demo. Ken said “Hey, I want to see this”, so the salesman brought his wares and told us to get chairs and sit round him (like we were little kids). Ken would pop into the kitchen now and again to check the food. Before the salesman had finished, Ken said “The food’s ready, you can go now.” Boy, were Margaret and I embarrassed.
Ken, you will be missed by more people than you know, and I really believe that no one had a bad word to say about you, a true character and a gentleman. See you upstairs for a few drinks as usual.
David Sherwood, retired, formerly Charles F. Stead & Co., Leeds, UK, and University of Northampton’s Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT)
Ken arrived back in England in 2003, and promptly joined C. F. Stead, a high-quality suede tannery based in Leeds and Strensall (near York). After learning the art of making suede, he was to be Stead’s eyes and ears in a couple of overseas ventures – firstly taking control of a project aimed at sports shoes in Taiwan and then later to Pakistan to support a collaboration with preparing a dyed suede crust, for further finishing in Leeds.
Once these projects were running smoothly, Ken was brought back to Leeds, but during the transition the company fell into recession, closing Strensall and reorganising the Leeds plant. At this point Ken took the opportunity to join Thomas Ware in Bristol.
On retirement, Ken moved back to Northampton to play with his model railway, building a marvellous layout in the summerhouse.
Around this time, I was elected president of the SLTC and asked Ken to join the committee to take the minutes, which he did with his methodical best, turning up at his first meeting with a tape recorder. Before I had time to arrive home, the minutes were waiting on the computer for me to sign them off. No disrespect to the previous scribers of the minutes, but usually they weren’t ready until the next meeting, some months later.
During his time in Leeds, and on retiring, Ken was a keen snooker player (and not a bad one), turning up with his own cue.
Anthony ‘Mackie’ McDonnell, retired, formerly Thomas Ware & Sons Ltd, Bristol, UK
The very first time I met Ken I was working in the drum house at Thomas Ware tannery when I smelt a very sweet blend of tobaccos that I found out later Ken put into his pipe, when he walked into the drum house and introduced himself. It was like I'd known him for years. He was a very polite, friendly, honest and knowledgeable person who would bend over backwards to help you if he could.
Ken was a foreman in the spray shop and his knowledge on mixing paint colours was second to none and to this day Thomas Ware tannery still use the same blending mixtures that Ken used.
We grew really close over the time that we worked together and used to have a meal now and again and Ken would talk about his love of Arsenal, F1 and his model railway and he would talk very highly of his sister and of his son, daughter-in-law and his grandchildren who were living in South Africa at the time.
When Ken moved back to Northampton we still kept in touch. We would talk on the phone nearly every day about the day’s sports and just things in general which I'm missing already. Ken was such a wonderful friend that I had the privilege to know, and I will never, ever forget.
Dave Knight, Sywell Aviation Museum
It’s hard to believe that Ken had only been a member of the museum for the past 10 years or so, for his amiable disposition and willingness to undertake various tasks made it seem he had always been around.
He was a founding and active member of “The Wednesday Club”, a group of museum members who, owing to their “mature years” are able to man the museum mid-week during the summer and meet socially in the closed season.
Although he tended to be a private person, his unassuming good nature belied his knowledge not only of aviation but his wide experience of life. His journeys in other countries and an understanding of many subjects made him a very interesting person to chat with.
When his health began to fail, we, his colleagues, had nothing but admiration for his stoic outlook on his situation and regularly enjoyed his company until he was unable to join us on a Wednesday at the museum or in the Aviator Hotel. However, we were still able to have regular telephone conversations, when again his positive attitude was always to the fore.
Ken was a level-headed individual who cared about people; assured, considerate and a loyal friend – who we were proud to know and will never forget.
