It is with regret that MarshLink Action Group (“MLAG”) acknowledges the death of Richard Holmes on Monday 13 February.
Richard was instrumental in the formation of MLAG in 2002 with the objective of enhancing Rye’s rail (and bus) services along the MarshLink line and connections to London and Brighton. Richard was the first Chairman of MLAG working with an enthusiastic, supporting committee. Some of the founding committee members (though, unfortunately, Richard appears to not be present at this meeting on Rye Station’s bridge)
and from left to right are: Keith Taylor, Rae Festing, Bridget Gibbs (Richard’s sister), Yvonne Metcalfe, Christopher Strangeways, Morris Metcalfe and Daphne Message.
Those were the days of the “Thumper” slam-door trains (formally, Class 207 DEMUs) which many will still remember. They were replaced in 2003 by Class 171 Turbostars (a considerable improvement and a success story at the time). More successes came, for example, with the extension of the service from Ashford to Brighton. But some of those early successes have been cut back over the last couple of years.
Richard’s approach to negotiating rail service improvements was (in my opinion) typical of his approach to life – a true gentleman with an appealing sense of reasonableness in tone that was hard to deny. On a personal note, Richard and Matty, his wife, were my near neighbours for ten years. When Linda (my wife) and I moved from Islington to Udimore in 2003, Richard and Matty’s house was in the Brede valley with us on the ridge. Their house has a plaque on it recognising the marriage, a few centuries ago, between children of the two households and I can see how easy it was for the two households (then and in 2003) to connect in friendship. They were also the first people to welcome us to our new home and the connection was further cemented by Richard, Matty and Linda’s intense interest in gardening (not so much myself). But my need to travel to London quite frequently connected with Richard’s deep interest in the rail service from Udimore’s station (known to most as Winchelsea Station but, as Richard often pointed out to me, actually sited in the realm of Udimore Parish). And so it was that I was drawn into the MLAG Committee and, when Richard retired, I was appointed Chairman.
In recent years the MarshLink rail service (as with all transport operations) has been impacted by the pandemic and consequential downturn in the national economy and the resulting reduction in passenger numbers. But Richard gave us the structure to be able to make our views known to the local rail operating companies and the other rail intermediaries and, in terms of MLAG, we must thank him for that early impetus he provided. In personal terms I would have more to say.
Richard will be fondly remembered and missed by all who knew him.
Stuart Harland
Chairman, MLAG