This week marks four years since we lost a High Wycombe legend.
Monty Seymour, President of Wycombe Wanderers FC and The High Wycombe Royal British Legion, died on January 12, 2017, aged 102.
The World War II hero, who was known to scores of people across the county, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his reign as club president in 2016, which saw the Adams Park bar reopened as ‘Monty’s’ in his honour.
Wycombe Wanderers has paid tribute to Mr Seymour on Twitter, posting a video montage featuring his voice, along with club manager Gareth Ainsworth saying at the time that he would be “sorely missed”.
Four years ago today we lost dear Monty Seymour, at the age of 102.
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) January 13, 2021
Monty served as Club President for more than 50 years, and has a lounge at Adams Park named in his honour. pic.twitter.com/EyG1cvk475
Mr Seymour was born in Little Marlow in 1914 in the farmhouse of Monkton Farm and attended Little Marlow School, in School Lane, from the age of five.
At the age of 12, he was transferred to Marlow's Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, returning in 2014 to celebrate his centenarian year.
He celebrated a varied career, starting out on the family farm and later joining High Wycombe chemist, Hughes Chemist, as an apprentice.
At the age of 23 he opened his own chemist in The Cornmarket, High Wycombe, but later arranged for a qualified pharmacist to help his wife, Betty, run the business and enlisted in the RAF.
His RAF career saw him serve in India and Burma at the end of WWII.
Following the war, Mr Seymour played a major role in setting up the Wycombe Royal British legion club, where he was president for 50 years and headed up the club’s annual Poppy Appeal.
He also played a role in the Wycombe Guarantors, the Rotary Club and the Charter Trustees, and in 2002 he was handed the highest honour from the mayor – an honorary Burgess of the town.
Mr Seymour’s funeral in February 2017 at High Wycombe’s All Saints Church was attended by scores of dignitaries who turned out to pay their respects, including former Wanderers owner Steve Hayes, Gareth Ainsworth and former chairman Ivor Beeks.
Wycombe MP Steve Baker, the next High Wycombe mayor at the time, Brian Pearce, and a number of former mayors were also present.
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