Harry Hedley (25 Feb 1927 - 31 May 2019)

In loving memory of Harry Hedley who sadly passed away on 31st May 2019.

Harry was born in East Belfast in 1927 and lived, as he said many times, “a great life”. The first child of Harry and Mary Hedley, they lived at 9 Dundela Crescent. There was some confusion over the date; officially the 25th February however, when Grandad registered the birth he was still ‘under the influence’ and registered the date as the 27th. Thereby Harry joined that select band of people with two birthdays; those born on the 29th February, and the Queen. He was followed in 1933 by his sister Georgie, now sadly departed.

His father was a professional soldier in The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, The Black Watch and the Machine Gun Corps, serving in WW1 in Mesopotamia and Gallipoli. It is remarkable that Harry (and the wider family) are here at all as Grandad was wounded in 1915. Not particularly remarkable you might think however, the bullet hit Grandad between the eyes, having clipped the rim of his helmet first which took the ‘sting’ out of the bullet and only rendered Grandad unconscious. A fraction of an inch either way and there might have been a very different outcome.

Harry was an Army Cadet and volunteered at 17 and in 1945 joined ‘The Skins’, The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was trained as a Bren Gun Carrier Driver and was posted to Austria in 1945 and was responsible for guarding SS prisoners and the Austrian border. Whilst there he met and married Hermin. Harry and Steve followed and were both born in Belfast. Three years later the relationship ended and Harry returned to Belfast with the boys.
Steve and Harry lived with their Grandparents in Dundela Crescent, unfortunately they were too frail to care for the boys and they went to Hollywood Home, Hollywood just outside Belfast. They were then fostered out to the Ferguson family in Ardglass.

Harry began to look for work and moved to the British mainland. Not long after he met Pam on a bus in Coventry. They married in July 1957 and were wed for 62 years, together for 65 years. Two years after marrying, Steve and Harry came to join them for a life together in Coventry, along with their two new younger brothers, Martin and Paul. As you all know, more children followed… Jennie, Calvin, Jane, Sarah, Bridget, Rupert and Peter. Nine children in 11 years! What was the hurry?

Harry worked at The Standard and at Triumph, eventually moving to Rolls-Royce Parkside and later to Ansty. When not working he had many interests and hobbies. He was a boxer for Rootes and participated in 30 Amateur fights, winning most of them. He used to train with the Coventry Harriers. He completed the 1st Coventry Marathon, along with Calvin, when he was in his mid-50’s and continued running into his mid-70’s. He was also a regular swimmer on Saturday mornings at Coventry Baths, and would take the kids with him too. He had a long, and mostly healthy, retirement becoming a Lollipop Man in his late 70’s, early 80’s. He helped Pam at Mother’s & Toddlers and also volunteered at the Govind Health Circle.

He wasn’t all action man though. He was a very keen reader, especially of military history, an interest he shared with his sons. He also loved poetry, Robbie Burns and Omar Khyam amongst others. He was very proud of his Ulster heritage and took lessons in Gaelic, Irish Dancing and playing the Bodhran. He took all his daughters Irish dancing and supervised nightly dance practice, then moved onto sparring with his sons. He loved the gee gees and a little flutter along with a drink. He was a great singer too.