The Salopian no. 157 - Winter 2015

74
OLD SALOPIAN NEWS
Chris Dumbell (JHT 1940-44)
His cousin writes:
There must have been something very special in the gene
pool of the Dumbell family. Many of the finest attributes
of Chris’s father, Philip Dumbell and his mother Marjorie,
a creator of beautiful things, particularly needlepoint, were
manifest in Chris. Philip Dumbell had a long and fruitful
life, surviving well beyond his three score years and ten,
and Chris equally had a splendid innings, which sadly
ended on 18th August 2015.
It could all have been very different. A cutting from The
Times dated 10th July 1956 reads:
A propeller tore loose from a Trans Canada Airline’s
Vickers Viscount on the way from Chicago to Toronto
yesterday, killing a woman passenger and injuring five
others. The pilot made a safe emergency landing at
Windsor, Ontario airport.
Like a soldier returning wounded from the battlefield,
Chris was reluctant to talk about the accident. Suffice it to
say that the lady who perished was seated in the row in
front. Chris and his pregnant wife Donna were amongst
the injured. Both had poor chances of survival and were
on life support. Recovery and convalescence took some
time and Chris was left with a leg injury which necessitated
long-term changes to his life. He gave up skiing, played
more golf and bridge and took up gardening seriously.
Never did Chris complain about his condition; he accepted
it and got on with life.
It was in the summer of 1951 at a large party at the
Dubuque Golf and Country Club that Chris first set eyes on
the pretty young lady who subsequently became his wife.
Chris and Donna became engaged after two months and
were married on 29th December.
Dubuque became virtually a second home to Chris and
Donna. They built a home on the outskirts of the city
overlooking a gorgeous piece of the Upper Mississippi
River and made probably over 200 round trips to the City.
Through Donna’s family connections and involvement
with the University, Chris and Donna were well known in
Dubuque. They were good friends of the Arboretum and
designed an exquisite garden for it.
Chris’ father sent him to Iowa to work as an apprentice
at a John Deere plant. Here he was tasked with learning
about US manufacturing technique and practices,
experiences which later contributed most usefully to his
working life at Turner Manufacturing.
The family firm had been created in the 1890s by Chris’s
grandfather. It started out making rather unreliable motor
cars. When Chris joined it was a more broadly based
engineering company. With Philip Dumbell as Chairman,
Chris and his brother Roy steered Turner Manufacturing to
a very successful stock market flotation in 1968.
The company sadly is no more. Having once been one
of Wolverhampton’s finest employers, when full control
passed to Dana Corporation, conditions changed. Not
wanted as a hands-on manager, Roy did not stay long.
Chris relocated to another office, travelled extensively for
a short period and was then happy to leave. Dana itself
subsequently failed.
Retirement from Dana released Chris’s energies for his
other interests and activities. In Public Service he was for a
number of years a Magistrate and Chairman of the Bench.
With Donna he travelled more and enjoyed many happy
holidays with his family at their house in the Algarve.
Photography was one of his many pleasures and trips
were always well researched and recorded in albums.
Chris, Donna and family moved to Lower Hall in Worfield
in 1964. The house was in need of some repair and the
garden mainly grass, open space and a virtual wilderness.
Whilst it took vision and some professional input to create
the structure and planting, the garden is essentially the
life’s work of Chris and Donna.
The garden was for Chris one of the great loves of his life.
Whereas some home owners cannot wait to sell off the
excess garden or tennis court for a building plot, Chris
continued to add acreage to his pride and joy. Using his
knowledge of engineering, maximum use was made of
the Worf and river vistas. The garden has been visited and
enjoyed by literally thousands of people from the UK and
abroad. During the the weekend of 14th/15th June 2015,
1,400 people came to celebrate a World War 1 display and
other artefacts in the Garden Room at Lower Hall. Before
any visit, Chris would be out early, making sure that the
garden was looking its pristine best. He and Donna were
perfectionists.
Chris was, over many years, a generous and silent
benefactor to the village of Worfield. The Church, where
Chris worshipped, benefitted usefully from events,
including garden openings at Lower Hall. He was a longserving
Vice President of the Worfield Cricket Club, life
member of the Bowling Club and Vice President of the
Royal British Legion. All of these received his generous
financial support.
Chris took particular pleasure in allowing couples married
in the church to be photographed in his garden. He also
liked to receive children from the school on to the lawn
to be taught and to sketch. On special occasions the
Dumbells shared their good fortune exclusively with the
inhabitants of Worfield, including a memorable Millenium
party held on New Year’s Eve 1999 with a spectacular
firework display, and a few years later a special event to
celebrate 50 years of Dumbells in Worfield.
More recently Chris was outstanding in his support and
devotion to Donna. Nothing was too much trouble for a
man, of whom his Commanding Officer in the Navy wrote
in 1947: “He is very keen and conscientious, cheerful
and capable and has conducted himself to my entire
satisfaction.”
Quite regularly he would power up his trusty Jaguar and
set off for London SW3. He was a fast driver and to be a
passenger in the back of his car was a testing experience.
He and Donna both derived much pleasure from their
London life, which included regular visits to Cadogan Hall
for concerts.
Chris was devoted to his children, grandchildren and
enlarged family and they have been lucky to have
benefitted from his zest for life wisdom and generosity.
A great life well lived.