Last updated 05:39, Friday, 12 September 2008

By any standards, John Eric Heelis was a remarkable human being. The man, who has died aged 87, was public spirited to a high degree, well-known for his work as a member of organisations in and around Appleby-in-Westmorland.

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Remarkable: Born into a long-standing Appleby family, John Eric Heelis served with distinction in the war before opening an antiques business

Then there was his service as an extraordinarily brave World War Two soldier who rose to the rank of brigadier and was Mentioned in Dispatches.

He had also been awarded the OBE.

From a long-standing family prominent in Appleby, he was a relative of Beatrix Potter who had married his great uncle and he wrote a book about the Cumbrian authoress.

He was born on April 12, 1921, in Appleby, where his family had lived for generations, acting as stewards and land agents to the Earls of Thanet and later the Hothfields.

His grandfather, Edward Alexander, was mayor of Appleby for 42 years and his father, Guy Hopes Heelis, was a well-known Appleby solicitor, a partner in E and E A Heelis.

After his father died unexpectedly in 1933, aged only 42, and on finishing his education at Appleby Grammar School and Bedford School, he attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1939, just before the outbreak of war.

On completion of his officer training he was commissioned to the Indian Army where he joined the 2nd/1st Gurkha Rifles, commanded by his uncle, Eric Bellers.

He became fluent in Gurkhali and other Indian dialects and in 1943 joined the 3rd/1st Gurkha Rifles in Burma.

He was involved in close action in early 1944 and in May that year, at the battle of Lynch Pimple, he was badly wounded by a grenade while taking part in hand-to-hand fighting against prepared Japanese positions and he had to be evacuated.

Subsequently, he was posted to the Special Forces’ Force 136, to prepare for an operation into Japanese occupied Malaya and in July, 1945, he was parachuted into the jungle behind enemy lines and was later awarded a Mention in Dispatches.

In 1946, he was posted to the 1st/1st Gurkha Rifles in India and in 1947 joined the 1st/7th Ghurka Rifles, with whom he served throughout the Malayan emergency against Communist insurgents in that country. He commanded his regiment from 1962 to 1965 on active service in Borneo.

In 1953 he had married Joy Isard, whom he had met while on leave in Cornwall.

After further spells of service in Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore, he was promoted to Brigadier in command of 99 Gurkha Infantry Brigade in Singapore but when his brigade was disbanded due to service cutbacks he decided that the time was right to retire from the army.

Settling down to civilian life in Cumbria, he began a small antiques business in Milburn and was a familiar face at many antiques fairs and local auctions in Penrith, which were then run by Thornborrow and Co. and Penrith Farmers’ and Kidd’s.

He always sat on the front seats with his flask of coffee and packed lunch in order to keep an eye out for bargains and ‘job lots’ and he loved the salesroom.

He became an active and keen member of a number of local organisations, including the Appleby branch of the Royal British Legion, of which his father had been a founder member and his mother the first welfare secretary.

He was chairman of Milburn village hall committee and Milburn parish council, churchwarden at Milburn church, chairman of the governors of Milburn School and was a governor of Appleby Grammar School for nearly 30 years.

He was also a life member of Appleby Cricket Club, an enthusiastic member of Appleby Rotary Club, and a trustee of St Anne’s Hospital and Temple Sowerby Trust.

He later became president of the Appleby-in-Westmorland Society, a member of the Westmorland National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies and had other interests with the Friends of Abbot Hall Museum and Friends of the Armitt Trust. He was also a member of the Eden Field Club.

One of his greatest interests became his garden, of which he was justifiably proud and which he loved to show people around.

His great uncle was William Heelis, husband of Beatrix Potter and he had known “Aunt Beatrix” during his school years.

Indeed, it was she who decided to move John from his school at Grange-over-Sands, on hearing the news of his father’s death, when John was only 11 – but she was sent packing by the headmaster.

He joined the Beatrix Potter Society, shortly before the death of his wife and became an enthusiastic member, making many new friends worldwide.

In his 70s, he wrote a short history of the Heelis family and also the book, The Tale of Mrs William Heelis Beatrix Potter.

He enjoyed many journeys abroad, including a visit to his old regiment in India, where he took the opportunity to explore the country further, travelling independently, aged over 70, on hot, dusty trains and striking up conversations with the local travellers in their own languages, which he had never forgotten.

There was also a trip to China and another to South Africa.

He lived independently at home for more than 20 years, following the death of his wife in 1987 and enjoyed village life to the full, taking part in all the various activities.

Brigadier Heelis is survived by his only son Guy and three grandchildren.

A funeral service and celebration of thanksgiving for his life was held at St Cuthbert’s Church, Milburn.

Donations in his memory will go to Milburn Church and the Gurkha Welfare Trust, c/o Glyn Jones Funeral Directors, Battlebarrow, Appleby, who had charge of arrangements.