John Corney Carpenter was born at Boughton Monchelsea, Kent where his parents farmed on the Foster Clarke Estate. Whilst he was quite young the family moved to Sussex, settling at Locks Farm, Washington. From the village school John moved to Steyning Grammar School where he was a good all-rounder. It was during this period that he learned to ring on Washington’s six bells, quickly picking up ropesight and change ringing.

He did his National Service in the Army, serving at Catterick, Salisbury and in Anglesey, but it is not known if he rang at any of these locations. Information would be welcomed. By 1949 he was a civilian once more and he secured work with Messrs I and R Morley, manufactures of gloves and hosiery. The firm had premises in London and owned a hostel in Chelsfield and this was to be his home for the next four or five years. Soon he was involved with the parish church of St Martin of Tours and with the very active Guild of young people. In 1951 a new Rector, Revd Norman Woodhall, arrived and he invited John to form a new band of ringers.

Encouraged by one of the Guild leaders (and honorary curate), Revd Cecil J. Ellingham, himself a ringer, John began to train a group of teenagers and soon they were ringing for services. With the help of nearby practice nights and Saturday meetings, the band gained in confidence and ability and on Coronation Day 1953 they rang a quarter peal. However, this was surpassed four days later, on the Saturday of that week, when they rang a local band peal of Grandsire Doubles. John conducted it and it was a remarkable achievement for a village band that had started from scratch and had been ringing for such a short time. In due course a peal board, supplied, we think, by C. J. Ellingham, was fixed to the ringing room wall, and it still has pride of place there today.

Of his pupils, Bridget Fagg, née Cox, decribes John Carpenter as the band’s inspiration. "He did so much for us young ringers and he was determined to succeed." John Parker describes John as a caring person who had a great deal of patience. John Pannell, now in Canberra, writes of John’s enthusiasm, and David Manger, Chairman of the Kent County Association, describes him as a very positive tower captain. From the start in the 1950s, the band has never looked back. Dozens of ringers have been taught to ring, a great number of whom are still ringing today and are themselves teaching others. The band has won the Kent County Association Six Bell Competition six times and the six bells are about to be augmented to eight.

In 1954 John married Ann Pannell, who had rung the treble to the peal. John’s firm having moved to Castleside, County Durham, they established their home there and it was there that their children Angela and Christopher were born. In 1961 they returned to live in Kent, making their home at Tonbridge, John joining the local band of ringers. Latterly he worked for Judges Postcards and, with a passion for photography, he loved the job. In 1985 he married Jean and they moved to Borough Green where their garden was an important feature of his retirement.

John returned three times to Chelsfield: in 1972 to ring a quarter peal with the (then) present and past tower captains, in 2007 for Ringers’ Sunday and in June 2008 for a Reunion of Chelsfield ringers. Although clearly unwell, he rang rounds on the latter occasion with three others of the 1953 peal band.

On December 22nd we met at Tunbridge Wells Crematorium to say farewell to the man who had introduced change ringing to St Martin’s, Chelsfield. His son, Christopher, described his father as a very loving husband and family man. The beautiful wreath from Jean included dark red roses, cream carnations and red gerberas as well as six small bells. The order of service bore the very appropriate words, "Life is not counted by the years you live, but by the love you gave and the things you did." That morning, at Mayfield, Sussex, a quarter peal of Alloa Surprise Major was rung in John’s memory, conducted by David Manger. At Chelsfield in January a quarter peal of Cambridge Surprise Minor was rung.

John Barnes