We were sad to read the following note from Sam’s son Chris, on 8 November 2018:
‘Sorry to report to you that Dad passed away on Tuesday Morning (6th November 2018) 20 days short of his 90th Birthday.
I think you were aware that he had been suffering from Dementia for some time and was diagnosed in 2014 although it was obvious he had been suffering for some time before that. I like to think he had a full and varied life in the Army and HMSO, enjoyed his retirement, and the last few years were a small smudge, not definitive.’
Sam joined HMSO in August 1979, where his professional experience as a commissioned officer in the Army proved invaluable with his work as General Manager, Publications Centre.
Brian Minett adds: Sad news indeed but Sam’s last years have not been without difficulty for him and Chris. When his deputy I had more bust-ups with Sam than I did with the unions and that’s saying something – but I wouldn’t have missed them for the world. When I was about to take over as Director on his retirement and said I would be doing away with his well-known, fully-stocked office wine cabinet he told me I was a disgrace and – to quote the modern term – not fit for purpose as a Director! How right he was – what a character, what a sad loss, God bless him!
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