The Dalesmen Male Voice Choir

Gordon Bright

We are very sad to announce the death of our President, Gordon Bright. Gordon died peacefully on 15 July 2026 at the age of 95. The Dalesmen joined the congregation at Gordon's funeral service on 12 August at Swanwick Crematorium, a service full of music and sharing of thanks for Gordon's service in the communities he has been part of throughout his long life. We offer our condolences to Gordon's family.

Gordon was born in 1931 at Evton on Severn near Shrewsbury. His father died when he was 18 months old, and as his mother had to go out to work to keep him, he was brought up by various members of the family till he was 10. His mother remarried and then he was able to move back in with her and his step father to a smallholding in Crudgington, Shropshire. At 13 he won a scholarship to attend The Walker Technical College, Oakengates to specialise in engineering. He obtained his school leaving certificate with Honours.

Gordon started work at the Sentinel Wagon Works in Shrewsbury. This meant getting up at 6am, cycling 2 miles to catch the works bus at High Ercall to the works for 8am; finishing work at 6pm and he got home about 8pm. It was a six-day week working 8am till 1pm on Saturdays. He had applied for an apprenticeship with Auto Electrical Services in Wellington, and when a vacancy came, he took it.

National Service came along and he joined the RAF as an aircraft electrician. 1949 was a very severe winter. After a fire in the billet left Gordon out in the snow he went down with double pneumonia. He was so ill that the Padre administered the last rites to him. There were no antibiotics in those days, but Gordon survived. On discharge from the RAF he was told his lungs were so badly damaged he would be lucky to live till he was 35 – something of an underestimate!

Gordon returned to civilian life specialising as an Auto Electrician in the motor trade. During the next 30 years he worked for, the REME in Hadley and in Staffordshire County Council Repair Depot at Gailey. In 1955 he was accepted a post as Works Manager for Moons Motors of London at their Stafford branch.

In 1957 he married Sylvia, and they bought a house in Stafford which saved 50 miles travelling each day. A few years later he went into partnership with his General Manager from Moons and they took over a newly refurbished Esso Service Station near Trentham Gardens. After a few years hard work building up a good trade they sold it.

Gordon was then offered a position with the Ford Motor Company in Newcastle-under- Lyme as a Sales Co-ordinator which was a new position in the Company. The salesmen would sell on average 60 vehicles a week, and his job was to process each vehicle through to the customer, and also decide what to do about the vehicle they had taken in part exchange.

In 1966 he moved to Kempley in Gloucestershire buying the village Post Office, the General Stores and Service Station. As Postmaster he helped many of the villagers with their problems and also looked after their vehicles. It was long hours working seven days a week. During his time in Kempley, he became a member of Gorsley Baptist Church and also joined Gorsley Male Praise Choir. In 1981 he joined a three-week singing tour of North America and Canada, travelling 200 to 300 miles a day giving a concert every night and twice on Sundays.

Gordon took retirement from the Post Office in 1991 and moved to Ambergate in Derbyshire. This was mainly to help his uncle with his portable buildings business, as he had never forgotten how good he had been to him in his early years after the death of his father. After moving to Ambergate he joined The Dalesmen Male Voice Choir where he was appointed Secretary, which in those days also meant arranging all the concerts and welfare of the members. After serving the choir for 13 years in this position he had to stand down, having to nurse his wife through her final illness. In 2013 he married Pat who had been a family friend for 40 years. Pat had been a widow for 10 years. That same year he accepted an invitation to become President of the Choir, which was a lifetime role. Also during this time Gordon was a faithful, loyal and hard-working member of Milford Baptist Church, where he also served as a deacon on the leadership team for a number of years.

Gordon remained active in the community for all but the last year of his long life, during which Pat cared for him as his needs increased. Gordon is remembered as a kind and welcoming father-figure to all the Dalesmen, with always a warm word and a firm handshake. In a long and full life he made many friends and touched many lives. He is greatly missed and will be remembered with gladness.