Gordon Causley (5 Apr 1922 - 23 May 2021)

In loving memory of Gordon Causley of Hatherleigh who sadly passed away on 23rd May 2021 aged 99 years.

Due to covid restrictions the Funeral Service will be private.

The Funeral Cortège will leave Claremont at 11am on Monday 21st June and travel down through Hatherleigh via Market Street & Bridge Street.
You are welcome to line the route to pay your last respects to Gordon whilst abiding by the social distancing guidelines.

You may watch the service via an online webcast using the following log in details.

Website https://watch.obitus.com

Username goho4201

Password 741924
The service will be live from 12.20 on 21st June.

Donations in lieu of flowers if desired will be for the Royal British Legion and can be made via this page or may be sent to N. Lock & Son, Black Torrington, EX21 5QD. 01409 231281
................................................................................................................................................................

Today we are here to celebrate the life of Gordon George Payne Causley. Gordon was born in Barnstaple on the 5th April 1922, to parents Sam and Ellen Causley. Gordon was the youngest of four children, having two sisters – Eva and Vera and an elder brother, Edgar. Shortly after Gordon was born the family moved to Hatherleigh where they bought the General Stores, one which sold nails to nuts and pears to peppermints. They also sold cider from the barrel and Gordon recalls as a very young child being given a nip of cider to help him sleep. He also remembered helping his Mother to churn butter in the cold-room at the back of the shop.

Being the youngest, Gordon was often called upon to be the errand boy for the shop and later when he was big enough, he did many of the shop's deliveries. For this he was given charge of the shop bike and inevitably, he got into one or two scrapes. On one occasion, he had made the delivery to a property outside Hatherleigh which had a steep drive. He set off down the drive as fast as a shop bike would go however at the bottom of the drive a gate suddenly appeared – not shut on the way in but some kind person had shut the gate, so next thing, bike hits gate and young Causley ends up on the road with a few bumps and bruises. However the poor bike had a very bent wheel which meant Gordon had to walk home and then explain the damaged bike to Dad. He had to pay for the repairs so I am told, with deductions from his pocket money over the next several weeks.

Gordon attended Hatherleigh Primary School or as he liked to call it, Hatherleigh University and after primary school it was on to Okehampton Grammer. At the age of fifteen, he and several of his friends joined the T.A. which he loved. It meant drill nights, weekend camps and the annual fortnight's training camp on Dartmoor or Salisbury Plain. Gordon was a bit of a crack shot having won a shooting competition up at Wilsworthy Range, for which he won a hamper of goodies and he could still recite the contents of that hamper well into his nineties.

In 1939, being still too young to be in the regular army, he was assigned to a Royal Artillery battery on homeland protection where he seemed to be sent all over the country. He then volunteered as a despatch rider never having ridden a motor bike before. He gave it a go but with some scrapes as you would expect. However one of these ended in him having a fractured skull and having to spend six weeks in Selly Oak hospital. Once recovered it was back to the battery. But he was on the move again this time with his new regiment The First Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Company and off to North Africa to chase Rommel all over the northern desert and of course, Rommel chasing them.

Once North Africa was secure he was off to Italy and there he was witness to some of the bloodiest battles of the war . Fighting village by village, street by street, it was almost hand to hand combat. It was during a lull in fighting in December 1944 that he managed to secure some leave and Edgar his elder brother, who was serving with the RAF had done the same. As they were both near Rome they arranged to meet and spend a few days sightseeing and also managed to take in a couple of operas one of which was Carmen, which became a firm favourite with Gordon.

After leave it was the big push North to Austria via Yugoslavia. Once hostilities ended Gordon returned to the U.K. and went to work for the East Cornwall Electricity Company as a linesman. This was hard, dirty work not to mention being out in all weathers. Gordon then joined the Post Office as a fitter in their Launceston depot and it was while living in Launceston that he met his first wife Christine. Gordon and Christine had one son Steven who sadly died of leukaemia at the age of five and tragically a few years later Christine died of cancer. Gordon must have been devastated at losing both within such a short space of time.

At this time Gordon had transferred from maintenance to being a postman. It was when out on his rounds that I first met him and we started talking fishing and shooting. Soon my mother and Gordon struck up a relationship which led to them marrying in 1973. They settled in Lifton, but during this time they re-established some friendships in Hatherleigh and later, they moved to Hatherleigh and soon became involved in a lot of town activities including lunch clubs, coffee mornings and Carnival. Gordon was retired by now but still gainfully employed, collecting the Market rents and doing a delivery round for a local Butcher. He was a staunch supporter of the Cricket Club and also played Bowls until not so many years ago. Gordon was also involved with the RBL and he was an active member right up until his death. Sadly, my Mum died in 1999 and Gordon has been on his own since then.

He spent many happy times with us, either weekend visits or sharing family holidays in Cornwall, France and the Greek Islands also one holiday with me on a cultural tour of Turkey and of course no family do was complete without Pop. He particularly enjoyed the Christmas get togethers, because there would always be twenty or thirty family members which gave him plenty of opportunities for socialising and enjoying the food and drink. He loved company and spent many happy weekends and holidays with Marilyn and Ken in Okehampton.

The last few years although getting frail he was determined to look after himself and live in his own home and thanks to Gill coming in to help him two or three times a day and also family and friends taking him out on trips to the coast and helping him keep doctors, dentist and opticians appointments, he was able to stay in his cottage. One thing he was beginning to miss and especially during lockdown, was visits from his old friends, some of whom had sadly passed away.

Despite this Gordon remained cheery and will always be remembered as a true gentleman. Wherever he went he brought a ray of sunshine and always found someone to talk to, always had a story to tell. We will all miss him.