Howard was born in 1941. His family came from Wales, and his father was a bank manager. He studied mathematics at Cambridge , and joined GCHQ as a mathematician in 1962 via the Defence Scientific Service. He was a cryptographic expert, serving in both the intelligence and the protective sides of GCHQ, rising to senior positions. In the mid-sixties he was posted to Washington DC, and on the boat to NewYork (in those far off days we travelled by ocean liner) met Joan. She was the daughter of an Edinburgh jeweller and was returning to her job as a speech therapist in America. Diffident (like many of us at that age) Howard stepped out of character and married her, possibly helped by Joan's friendliness and social ease. He went as a bachelor and returned at the end of his tour as a husband and father of two boys, Michael and Peter. Howard and Joan made a good couple, with complementing skills- Joan with her outward looking nature and hospitality, and Howard with his practicality and considerable intellect. He had a range of interests. His sports were squash in the earlier years and golf later on. He played bridge, and loved classical music and opera. He and Joan went on history of art holidays abroad, and were members of the Painswick branch of the Arts Society. In the office he was the soul of discretion, but in private over a glass of wine he had a fine sense of humour. He enjoyed good health, and the onset of cancer of the bladder came as a surprise. Despite therapy it continued to develop, and he died in Sue Ryder. We were privileged to be his good friends. Paul Foster and Bob Sutherland.
Bob Sutherland
31/01/2024
