The website of the history of one of the

 19c. Cambridgeshire FYNN families

...and other claimed but unsubstantiated connections...

 

Geoffrey Wilfred Fynn


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Geoffrey Wilfred Fynn (1918 - 2012)

The symbol: '@@@@@@' indicates that detail has been hidden to reduce 'identity theft' risks. See Legal stuff.

Geoffrey Wilfred Fynn: (My father) Born @@@@ 1918 He was educated at St John’s Choir School and went to work at the Cavendish Laboratories in Cambridge as a Laboratory  Assistant in the mid-1930’s. He was brought up at 208 Victoria Road, Chesterton.  In his youth,  he made canoes and paddled them throughout the Cambridgeshire rivers.  He's in the front seat of this canoe  with a friend Leslie Germany in the back. Taken in 1938, this was apparently  the second one he had built just before the 2WW.

 

Click on the image to the right to get the full version

GWFCanoeLg.jpg (321467 bytes)

At the outbreak of the Second World War he was called up to the scientific civil service and first worked in Christchurch on Radar.  As a result of enemy action they soon had to move the labs to Malvern; to what later became the Royal Radar Establishment. For years during the 2WW a rift grew in the family as his sister, Mary, formed the opinion that her brother, Geoffrey, was a conscientious objector and was in prison for his views.  For some reason their parents failed to correct her. Whether they felt that they were constrained by the Official Secrets Acts... Quite how his admittedly rare home visits were explained...  Geoff used to recall working on early radar development.  One winter; probably 1939-1940 they were on the Durham coast testing equipment on aircraft being flown in from the North Sea.  It was so cold that they had to do up 4BA nuts and bolts with their thumbs!  Number 10 (Downing Street) declined a request that they could have Christmas to thaw out...

At Malvern he met Mary Henderson @@@@@@ who had also been called up for ‘war work’. She x-rayed shell fuses to check they were okay or otherwise. Mary and Geoff married in @@@@ 1945. 

Geoffrey Wilfred Fynn subsequently worked on guided missiles (including 'Blue Steel' and 'Blue Streak') at R.R.E. Malvern.  When 'Blue Steak' was cancelled he moved to the physics division and became involved in lasers.  He co-wrote "The Cutting and Polishing of Electro-optic Materials" (Pub. 1979 by Adam Hilger Ltd) and later the up-dated version, "Cutting and Polishing Optical and Electronic Materials" (Pub. 1988 by Adam Hilger Ltd). Mary and Geoff lived at @@@@@@@@@, the family home since @@@@. Mother 'pottered' and busied herself with Church and Women's Institute matters, whilst father busied himself with his garden and making fully working copies of 19th century clocks as well as hand polishing lenses and mirrors for astronomical telescopes.

They had two children:

Mary Elizabeth Fynn: Born @@@@ 1947  in Worcester. Elizabeth has spent most or her working life in publicity and public relations; latterly running her own company, "Quest PR". She now (2014) lives in the @@@@@@ with her partner, Phil, their spaniel, "Purdey", their retriever, "Liddy"   and some older cars!

Geoffrey Hyde Fynn: Born @@@@ 1949 at "Woodlands", Suckley, Worcestershire. Geoffrey spent a short time in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot before becoming a police officer. He achieved the rank of Chief Inspector before resigning in 1996. He then became the Managing Director of a private investigation agency in Exeter which he ran with his wife Sandra until 2003, when he retired; this time to France. They later moved to Newton Abbot, in Devon with their two spaniels, "Monty" and "Sophie".  Geoffrey has two children from a previous marriage: Marcus Geoffrey Hyde Fynn and Karen Mary Hyde Fynn.  Marcus is married to Amy.  They have a daughter Grace Mia Hyde Fynn.  Karen is married to Nigel and they have a daughter Eloise Charlotte Cain.

Sadly Geoffrey Wilfred Fynn died in November 2012 after a short stay in Worcester Royal Hospital.  Mary Henderson Fynn tried to make a life for herself without her partner of over 65 years.  She did all of the WI excursions and garden visits but died in August 2013 after a short but distressing illness.  They are both buried in the same grave at Bransford Chapel.

The symbol: '@@@@@@' indicates that detail has been hidden to reduce 'identity theft' risks. See Legal stuff.

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Page last updated 5th April 2014

 

This website is the copyright of Geoffrey and Sandra Hyde Fynn.   This site was last updated as shown on each page.
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