The sad news that John died, in a hospital care unit close to his home in Orpington, on 20 December 2021 came from David Burchell. He had been receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer.
John joined HMSO in 1972, working in London Presses, Technical Services Division, and Quality. He retired as PB16.
John’s funeral has been arranged for Tuesday 25 January at 1.45pm at the Bluebell Cemetery, Old London Road, Halstead, TN14 7AE.
Dave Burchell adds: Although I had known John for many years it was not until the mid-1990’s that we started working together. I was newly appointed Manager at Parliamentary Data Centre and his encouragement and advice would stand me in good stead for the rest of my time at HMSO/TSO/Williams Lea.
The first thing you noticed about John was his enthusiasm and he had a great ability to get people to reach greater heights than they thought possible. I have seen a number of comments on the Facebook page refer to him as a top man. He was that and more, in my view, he was up there with HMSO/TSO/Williams Lea’s ‘big beasts’ of the past.
He leaves a lasting legacy in bricks and mortar at Parliamentary Press (sadly no longer in use) where he was a key driver in the Parliamentary Press Project team in the 1980’s. He was also a key figure in the numerous Quality Management Projects he headed up.
On Privatisation, he worked on the transition of the Parliamentary Contract from public to private sector. He was instrumental with the Parliamentary Contract team in getting the new Parliamentary Printing, Publishing and Electronic Contracts awarded in 2001 and 2006. The second contract was to run for 10 years until 2016, a duration unheard of. This helped make TSO a very valuable proposition over the years and very valuable to its subsequent new owners.
John retired as Parliamentary Contracts Director in 2008. He had more leaving do’s than Frank Sinatra. Both Houses gave him numerous send-offs and this really showed their feelings towards him, he was respected throughout Parliament by all he in came into contact with. TSO also did him proud and we had a number of memorable dinners in London.
We all kept in touch after his retirement with numerous dinners, outings to Goodwood, Sandown and Kempton Park, short notice meetups at Wetherspoons in Victoria and many other social occasions.
He was immensely proud of his working-class roots, proud of his achievements both at work and in his neighbourhood and fiercely proud of his loving family.
On hearing the sad news of his passing, many of his friends have said that it was a privilege to have had him as a colleague and even more so as a friend.
I can only echo those sentiments, I am proud that he was my friend to the end, I will miss him terribly.
Robert Stutely adds: I was struggling to write my tribute to John Eveson – my numerical skills are better than my word skills – when I saw what Dave Burchell had written and I realised that he has said it all.
I really got to know John when he was appointed Director of Technical Services and he became my manager. He was a delight to work for although that should really read ‘to work with’ which was his style. We worked together in many guises as the Tech Services role changed over the years and the title changed with ‘Quality’ and ‘Innovation’ variously appearing in the title.
After going our various ways we remained in touch and met up at intervals with Maddy Daynes and our spouses for lunch at various restaurants in Norwich – a true friend that I could also chat with on the phone. John always had time for you.
Fred Stubbs adds: Sorry to learn that John has died. I worked with John for a time when I was in Tech Services – a pleasant man to work with, very knowledgeable. He was very intelligent and I always felt that he would do well in HMSO – and he did.
Fred Howe adds: How sorry I feel having read that John Eveson had passed away. I first met John at a Financial Course being held at a hotel in Mundesley, Norfolk. This was in the early 70s. I met him again at Mandela Way Press. He was always helpful and it was a pleasure to have known him.
Alan Justice adds: I was really sorry to hear the sad news of John’s passing. I have many fond memories of working for and with John on many projects in Technical Services Division Norwich, various Parliamentary projects and in Whitehall, London. As Dave Burchell said, John had boundless enthusiasm for whatever work he was involved in. It was a pleasure to work alongside him. He was one of the ‘good guys’.
John Barker adds: I was very sad to see that John Eveson had died. I knew John when he first came into HMSO as a technologist in 1972. I was Chairman of the IPCS in London at that time and was called down to see Jim Turner, the Assistant Controller. He said that the office was bringing in a new grade known as technologists to come into Technical Services Division, and what would the IPCS think about it? I said that providing it didn’t block many promotions prospects for our members, it should be well received, especially as they were going into Technical Services Division. I was in that myself at the time. John came in with one or two others. Keith Mayhew being another of them. Both of them were really friendly and both did well. I lost touch with Keith but John stayed in London for most of his career as far as I know. We often met up even after I left HMSO and John was always good to be with. I was visiting the Parliamentary Press on one occasion and I gave him a lift to the House of Commons which he was going to and we both had a nice chat. After we all retired, we used to meet up at the reunions that Bob Allder organised and John usually came to them. He will be sadly missed by us all.
Bob Allder adds: I knew John mainly for the time he was the General Manager of HMSO Parliamentary Press, London. He was very much an inspirational and charismatic leader, with a hands-on approach, who always led by example. Running the Parliamentary Press was a big responsibility, as it would have been at the time, one of the largest printers in London with several hundred staff working both night and day shifts.
John started his early working life in the printing trade as an apprentice Electrotyper & Stereotyper. It was soon realised, when he started attending day-release at the London College of Printing, that here was no ordinary apprentice, as his intellectual ability really stood out. John had always said that his happiest days in his life were when he was making plates. His former lecturer at the college, who became a dear friend to both John and myself was Bert Smart. Bert was always singing John’s praises, and often remarked that John’s practical and theoretical work were always on a par and were of a very high standard. One of my happiest memories is when John and I took Bert out for lunch. John joined HMSO in 1972 and a few years later was sponsored by the office to undertake the full-time BSc (Hons) degree course in Printing Technology at Watford College. One of his colleagues on the course, who was at the time, having difficulty with the maths aspect of the course, asked for John’s help, who was able to tutor him in that respect. In later years, that person later became a lecturer at the college, and was eventually made Professor of the Department. John was a great supporter of the Institute of Printing, and made the facilities of the Parliamentary Press available when required for the London Branch meetings. John also knew my late father, as occasionally I would bring him along to social events of the London Branch, and I remember that he always called my father “Dad”. I’ve always regarded John more as a personal friend, than the “guvnor” at the press, he was also one of the brightest and the most intelligent people I have ever known.
Rest in peace John, I had hoped to see you around for a bit longer, but that was not to be.
John’s face is highlighted in the red circle of this photograph, taken circa December 2014. The remaining yellow circles indicate those of our number who went before him.
Keith Mayhew adds: I was very sorry to hear the sad news that John Eveson has died. John and I both joined HMSO within a couple of weeks of each other back in 1972, having been recruited to work in the then newly formed Technical Services Division, working in Atlantic House. It was clear from the start that John was going places in the organisation, his ability, enthusiasm and determination were plain for all to see and were complemented by his warm personality and good humour. As the two new boys we quickly became friends and enjoyed each other’s company, often over a quick, lunchtime half-pint at the local hostelry (the most our budgets could stretch to at the time!).
It was an exciting time for us, the printing industry being at a turning point with new technologies and processes starting to replace the traditional methods of production. John was at the forefront of investigating how these developments could be introduced and he played an important role in many projects throughout his long career. He was very insightful and an early adopter of the home computer. I was less sanguine and remember a conversation with him in which I struggled to comprehend what use he would make of it in those pre-internet days; typing an occasional letter or recording household accounts perhaps. But John could see the bigger picture and was convinced it was the way of the future. Today it’s hard to imagine life without a laptop or smartphone and we take it for granted, but at the time it was far from obvious. When the internet arrived on the scene I remember John enthusiastically giving a demonstration to a small group of techies using it to send messages from his computer, which I think convinced us all that home computers were here to stay!
John had many friends and colleagues within HMSO and in the wider industry. He was widely known and respected and I never heard anyone with a bad word to say about him. In later years, our contact was limited to the occasional email and the customary exchange of Christmas greetings. We had often said we would meet up for a reunion in London. Much to my regret this never got to happen.
I will remember John as a people person, well-known and well-liked by all, and along with his many friends and colleagues, I will mourn his passing.
Rest in peace, John.