Josef Hartley (21 May 1919 - 25 Oct 2015)

In loving memory of Josef Hartley of Ripley, who sadly passed away on 25th October 2015,
Aged 96 Years. He was much loved and will be sadly missed by his son John and his daughter Chrissie,
and all his family and friends.
Joe was born in Szczawnica, Poland. An Austro-Hungarian Spa resort in the mountains. A keen skier & Kayaker, before the war. That is why he never smoked. In 1939, he joined the Polish Army as a signaller. During the German invasion, he was captured, escaped, was wounded & captured again. He escaped down a potato shoot & had an epic journey through Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, France & to Britain. He was in the Polish, French & British Armies. He played a tiny role in taking down intercepts for what later became enigma. Then moved to teaching special forces how to use radios, including one secret mission by Lysander to France.
After the war he became an antique dealer & married Margaret. He opened a shop in Ripley in 1963. He divorced in 1971. Then he had a second marriage to Pat, but later, also divorced. He was still walking in the woods & driving until he was 91. He still had his mind & was able to potter around in his flat until 4 days before his death.