Ted Mouat (1928-2022) 

This tribute to Ted was written by his daughter Lindsey Alexander and read out by her at his funeral at Croydon Crematorium on 31 May 2022 

Dad was born in Hull to Edward and Margaret, their only child, in 1928.  His father was born in Shetland and was a carpenter in the merchant navy; his mother was born in Ardgour on the west coast of Scotland. Unusually, for 120 years ago, on leaving school, she went to Edinburgh and secured work as a typist for a building firm and was financially self supporting. Unfortunately, as the youngest, and only unmarried daughter of three, she had to return to undertake the role of housekeeper to one of her un-married brothers, Alec, who had secured the position of lighthouse keeper at Ardnamurchan which is the most westerly point on the British Mainland. Fortunately, upon their moving to Durness lighthouse at Cape Wrath, (the most north-westerly point on the mainland) and despite being ten miles from the nearest village, my grandparents met and married.  Alec also met the lady who would become his wife.

Dad was hugely proud of his Scottish heritage and it was obviously the background to his life.

Dad, with his mother, spent from around 1940 on the Isle of Mull, their home in Hull having been bombed, his father was at sea. They lived out the rest of the war with family, including his own grandmother, in the Mishnish Hotel in Tobermory owned by a cousin. Mull is a beautiful island in the Hebrides which offered a glorious and serene environment surrounded by family.

All was not however plain sailing, his father, as a merchant seaman, was regularly involved in the North Atlantic convoys. In January 1942, whilst Dad and his Mum were at the cinema his mother was called out to be informed that her husband’s ship had been torpedoed and sunk, and there was no news of survivors. Fortunately, my Granddad, along with some of his fellow sailors and  the ship’s cat, made it to a life raft. After several days at sea in bitterly cold and dangerous conditions they made it to an abandoned vessel, from which they were eventually rescued. For his part in the exercise Granddad was awarded the BEM.

Ted photographed in his 60s

Shortly after the war Dad and Grandma returned to Hull, Granddad again away at sea. Their home, which was rented, was extremely modest, close to the docks with no bathroom. The toilet was in the garden, which as kids, David and I found novel and rather fun to visit. Dad secured a place at the grammar school, and went on to undertake his National Service in Aden and Palestine, which he continued to look back on with fond memories. Upon discharge he spent a year at the University of Edinburgh studying geography. That set a bit of a trend as both my boys and I studied geography in our degree courses. After a year Dad sat the Civil Service exams and joined HM Customs and Excise, for whom he would work until retirement at 60.

Dad met Irene, David’s and my Mum, through the Scots Society in Hull and the Saturday night Scottish country dancing. They married, buying their first home in Hull, where I was born, and spending a short time in Sheffield, where David was born, before moving to Edinburgh when we were both very young.

As part of Dad’s role with Customs and Excise he was required to visit distilleries and breweries in Scotland to check they were paying the correct duty on the alcohol. This meant that most summers, as a family, we would spend a week or so with Dad, whilst he worked in beautiful places such as Dufftown in the North East, and the Isle of Islay. At a young age David and I gained a good working knowledge of the distilling process, wasted on me as I loathe whisky, David however enjoys good malt.

We also enjoyed road trips in Europe. Dad loved to drive and we variously visited Sweden and Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and France, driving hundreds if not thousands of miles. There was always much excitement in the build-up; we would receive the route, usually mapped out by a thick red line on a series of maps prepared by the RAC. This was before the age of GPS, which made navigation quite tricky, and, arguably, far more exciting.

Dad’s work as a Civil Servant inevitably meant that promotion necessitated work in London. For the last three years or so whilst we lived in Edinburgh Dad commuted to London weekly, returning on a Friday after school. This inevitably placed great strain on the family, and his marriage.

I went to university in Aberdeen, David and Mum moved to Croydon with Dad to try and repair the strained bonds. However, this was not to be and after a few years our parents divorced.

Enter a new chapter in Dad’s life, he met Lyn. They married and I know Dad was again very happy. He was married to Lyn for 35 years and for the majority of that time they lived in their idyllic cottage with its pretty garden in Kenley.

Ted does a turn at the 2010 choir social

Dad retired from the Civil Service shortly after marrying Lyn, but he continued to spend another 10 years or so working on a consultancy basis on projects funded by the World Bank. With his knowledge of VAT issues he was able to advise on establishing similar taxation structures in developing countries. Dad spent long periods over several years in The Gambia, Bangladesh & Afghanistan as well as Russia and Zambia with Lyn accompanying him.

He was also posted to Georgia, Iraq, Kosovo & Tanzania. They shared some great experiences, from hashing through the paddy fields in Bangladesh to being in Moscow in 1993 when Boris Yeltsin sought to wrest power from parliament by force which included street fighting. Dad also encountered danger whilst in both Iraq, living in an armed compound, and in Afghanistan where he would return to his hotel from work via corridors of sandbags with machine gun fire frequently to be heard in the background.

When he finally “retired for good” he had time to pursue his artistic interests, sketching, and watercolour painting, singing and, not altogether as well received, playing the bagpipes.   Some of his artwork will be on show this afternoon; he enjoyed attending classes to improve his skill and built up a veritable portfolio.

I recall on one occasion he brought his bagpipes to show his grandsons who were quite young. He asked them what they thought they were made of, hoping to explain the traditional skills involved in making a set, but the reply he received was “a picnic rug and some wood” - not what he was hoping for. The pipes accompanied him when he was abroad; in The Gambia he practised on the beach, usually with a string of curious local children following along behind.

His love of music led him to join the Croydon Male Voice Choir. He wasn’t necessarily the best singer, but thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie. As Dad’s mobility deteriorated several friends from the choir were extremely supportive, picking him up to take him to the weekly rehearsals and helping with tasks at home. He also enjoyed attending the Proms with a fellow choir member. Thank you to the choir members who have come along today to sing.

Dad was also a member of the Croydon Ramblers, enjoying the opportunity of an excursion out of Croydon involving a walk, a chat, and a pub lunch.  He also took part in the choir’s walking group outings.  Over the final years his mobility unfortunately prevented him attending the walking bit… but he still regularly turned up for the chat and the pub lunch.

Dad was an avid reader of a wide range of books including military history, Scottish crime novels and autobiographies. He enjoyed his Kindle which, although a great tool, caused him much frustration when he inadvertently altered the settings. His neighbour was frequently called upon to sort it out.

Scotland was deeply ingrained in Dad giving rise to his regular trips there. Painting in his favourite places on Mull, visiting family and, whilst in Edinburgh,  attending the Book and International Festivals usually culminating in an evening watching the pipe bands at the Edinburgh Tattoo. It is fitting that he will be returned to Scotland.