Ron Goodearl 1955
After leaving school Ron's first job was as an electrician's mate to Albert Rogers, who had a shop at 42 Green Street, High Wycombe. But at some time in the early 1930s Ron decided to turn his hobby of photography into a new career, working as a freelance photographer. At the time he was still living with his parents at 137 Desborough Ave, High Wycombe, and they allowed him to convert one of their rooms into a darkroom. His association with the Bucks Free Press (BFP), which was to last throughout his career, started shortly after this.
But this career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War 2, and in 1940 Ron enlisted in the Royal Air Force. After training at the RAF's School of Photography at Farnborough, Hampshire, he was given the rank of Leading Aircraftman (LAC) and posted to 1434 Flight at the Rayak station in Lebanon. Ron spent the next three years in an aerial reconnaissance unit working extensively throughout the Middle East. His role seems to have been installing and maintaining the photographic equipment, and processing the film. Although from the wonderful aerial shots of places in the Middle East in his collection, it would appear that he also had the opportunity to take photographs, perhaps when the aircraft were flying on non-combat missions.
As well as his 'official' photographs Ron, as meticulous as ever, recorded the main places visited and the major events he experienced. The photographs include aerial shots of places such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Baghdad, and Aleppo in Syria. His skill in technical drawing seem to have been put to good use, because amongst his papers are several detailed drawings of the 'F8 Camera Gear Box'. Late in 1944 he moved to San Severo in Italy, where he remained for the rest of the war. Among the photographs of Ron is one of himself and a colleague, both in full RAF uniform, posing with two Windsor chairs made in High Wycombe, and this was taken near Baghdad in 1942!
On returning to civilian life in 1945 Ron soon got back to work, taking his first commercial photographs in August. Furthermore, he decided to settle down, and he married Winifred Mabel Boreham in the Wesley Chapel, Priory Road, High Wycombe on 15 December of that year.
For the first few years of their married life the newly-weds lived with Ron's parents at 137 Desborough Avenue, but in 1950 they moved a short distance up the road to number 173.
Ron's first task in their new home was to set-up his darkroom, and his second task, as befits a keen gardener, was to landscape the garden. Ron and Mabel were to enjoy married life for over 40 years until Mabel became seriously ill and died in the Sue Ryder Home in Nettlebed, near Henley on 16 November 1987, aged 77. They had no children.
Throughout his career Ron toured the South Bucks area, initially by motorcycle, later by car, taking photographs of different events, or just of the scenery. Several of his photographs contain a motor cycle, obviously his. He eventually acquired a 650 cc blue Triumph Thunderbird and sidecar, and later he bought a turquoise and white Austin Metropolitan, a stylish little car which he drove for many years. And like his Triumph motorcycle outfit, he kept the car in immaculate condition.
A reporter colleague at the Bucks Free Press remembers Ron – 'He was a master of his craft as a photographer. His pictures were always perfectly taken and set up. He was a stickler for doing things right with his camera. He was always an extremely polite and helpful chap, anxious to please at all times. I recall waking him up in the middle of the night, around 1am, to take pictures at one of Wycombe's many furniture factory fires. Ron immediately grabbed his camera and came down with me to the blaze, where he took some wonderful pictures to go with my story.'
Ron died aged 88 on 18 October 1998, in Wycombe Hospital, just two weeks short of his 89th birthday, and was cremated on 28 October at the Chilterns Crematorium. Officiating at the funeral the Rev. Gregory Hargrove praised Ron as a 'quiet, gentle, gentleman who was methodical in everything he did'.
His obituary appeared in the Bucks Free Press (BFP) on 30 October, whose editor for much of the time he worked for the newspaper, Arthur Church, said:
'He was a man you could absolutely rely on. If he said he would do something, he did it, and I can never remember him letting us down'.
The former Bucks Free Press editor Steve Cohen said:
'Ron has left this area a huge legacy of fantastic photographs of the 20th century that everyone can treasure and enjoy well into the new millennium.'
There are nearly 4,500 photographs taken by Ron Goodearl in the SWOP collection.