John Palmer: – [Heath 1939–1946]
John Palmer CB was born on to William Nathaniel Palmer and Grace Dorothy May née Procter; after attending Heath Grammar School he went up to The Queen’s College, Oxford to read Greats and did military service in the RAMC (1946–1948).
He was an accomplished linguist and met his French wife, Lyliane Palmer Jeanjean, in London. They brought up their daughters Catherine and Sophie in a bi-lingual, bi-cultural household.
He had a successful career in government and then with the railways.
He entered the Home Civil Service by open written competition in October 1952, achieving the best Latin unseen of his year. During his civil service career from 1952 to 1989, he served in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, private secretary successively to Dame Evelyn Sharp, Mr Enoch Powell MP and Mr Reg Bevin MP, the Cabinet Office, the Department of the Environment and the Department of Transport.
From December 1989, he was employed successively by the British Rail Board as Managing Director Channel Tunnel, Chairman of European Passenger Services which we now know as Eurostar and adviser to the Chairman Bob Reid on privatisation.
John was a Companion of the Order of the Bath, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Liveryman of the Livery Company of Carmen and a Freeman of the City of London.
He retired in 1997, travelled extensively, followed politics closely, learned more languages, spent summers with his grand-daughters in South-West France, supported several charities and started his artistic career. His preferred medium was watercolour and he took part in exhibitions of local artists in Dulwich.
Lyliane Palmer Jeanjean passed away in 2022.
John is survived by his daughters Sophie and Catherine, grand-daughters Jeanne and Eugenie, son-in-law Ander McIntyre, close friends and family.
With thanks to Ander McIntyre.