Donald Towers

28/12/1927 - 28/12/2009

Don started ringing at St Andrew’s Church, Enfield, Middlesex around 1943 under Isaac Attwater who himself had taught campanology at Kent School, Connecticut, USA before the Second World War. Don took charge of St Andrew’s in the 1950s following the retirement of Mr Attwater. It was up the tower that he met his future wife Moira.

The family moved to Harpole, Northamptonshire, then a ring of five, where he joined the local band and followed this by moving on to Bicester where Don took a post at Oxford College of Further Education. At Bicester, then a ring of eight, he rang with Cyril Kinch and Fred Sharpe.

1965 saw the family move to Long Hanborough in the Cotswolds and Don became tower captain at Church Hanborough, serving for 20 years. As an active member of the Witney and Woodstock branch he rang at Witney, Woodstock and Northleigh and taught many ringers, including his children, David and Sheenagh, to handle a bell.

1985 saw his retirement from teaching wood trades at Oxford Tech and a move to Glenisla in Scotland followed. Don soon became involved in the Scottish ringing world and trained a novice band with Moira’s help to ring at Dunkeld in the late 80s, and remained captain there until 1995.

At the same time he spent 18 years as tower captain at St Paul’s Cathedral, Dundee and was instrumental in facilitating the rehanging of the bells there in 1998. Don put his talents as a cabinet maker to good use by making the new wheels for the bells himself.

He retired from ringing in 2005 citing the 100 steps to the ringing chamber as being 99 too many. His memory lives on in many towers in Scotland in the form of some fine furniture, which graces various ringing chambers.

His peals number around 50.

Don leaves behind Moira, their two children and five grandchildren.

David Towers