Philip Gaussen: 1935–2024

When I was about six years old, Uncle Philip gave me a small copper coin with an elephant depicted on the reverse. He told me, gravely, that the coin was extremely valuable. I was, of course, deeply impressed by his solemn manner and I believed him. Several years later, when I began to take an interest in numismatics, I realised that the Liberian penny was valueless and that I had been “had” by Uncle Philip. But then Philip believed no one was too young to have their leg pulled, not even a small and trusting nephew. And we all knew that behind the horseplay and affectionate banter there was a caring, generous person who wanted everyone to achieve the best they could and who, unusually, was prepared to make the effort to help them.

My uncle, whose life we remember, was born in June 1935 in Muizenberg, South Africa. His father, James Gaussen, was a surgeon captain in the Royal Navy, and descended from an ancient Irish Huguenot family, tracing its origins to Lunel, near Montpellier, in the late tenth century. His mother, Lucy Jorssen, came from a well-to-do Dutch family established in Cape Colony for many generations. Philip spent his earliest years very happily in South Africa with his much-loved grandmother, but with war breaking out he was brought back to London with his eldest sister to join his other three siblings and his Mother in 1938. In conditions of great difficulty, with his Father at sea, his Mother struggled to bring up her young family and it was Philip who suffered the most. These were very unhappy years for him.

As a teenager he lived at Hasler, as his Father ran the hospital for part of Philip’s childhood years.  He sang in the choir of Portsmouth Cathedral as a boy chorister and attended Portsmouth Grammar School.  It is true to say that Trinity Hall played a major part in enabling him to move on and become successful in life.

Philip funded his way through Trinity Hall, Cambridge and regularly attended Evensong at Kings College Chapel.  While there he thought of Ordination and had frequent discussions with the then Dean of Trinity Hall, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie who encouraged him. Philip had a beautiful speaking voice until recently, was a very capable ‘off the cuff’ orator and this may have had some influence on his thinking at that time.

During Summer vacations, Philip went sometimes with one of his friends from Trinity Hall, working on a farm in Norway, becoming lifelong friends with the Oxseth family and revisiting Oslo fjord many times in later life, together with Elaine. His skis, now antiques, still stand in the old storehouse at Blakstad farm. He also worked as a courier for Cosmos coaches, taking holiday groups to various parts of Europe, widening his language capability. At the age of 89 years, he could still converse in many languages.

After Cambridge, Philip contracted TB during his National Service and spent 18 months in a military hospital – the first of many serious illnesses he was to suffer. Characteristically he bounced back, taught in a prep school for approximately a year and learned German in two weeks to get a job in Hamburg, where he stayed for two years. He then worked for BAT (British American Tabacco) in the Far East, became Area Sales Manager for New Zealand and Australia, moving to Lagos, Nigeria as Area Sales Manager for 6 years and latterly to Liberia where he lived for a year.  A friend in his last years, had also worked in Lagos for a longer period and says of him “it is surprising that Philip remained unmarried during this phase of his life as one of his favourite pastimes was asking the local girls “se wa fe mi” or “will you marry me”? Fortunately, Nigerians are known for their sense of humour, but that was a different time from now.

Philip would tease everybody – as many over the years came to know and right up until two days before his death.

Philip returned from West Africa, exhausted. He had learned the connection between smoking and lung cancer and felt he could no longer continue in his role. He took a job with British Telecom, eventually moving to Bournemouth, where he met and married his wife of 41 years – Elaine. And so, for the last half of his life, Philip was in the very good hands of a nurse manager, living in Dorset and latterly at Grove Place Retirement Village in West Hampshire. Retiring from BT aged 57 years he focused on his real passion, local politics. He won every election he stood for and served with distinction in a variety of senior positions, becoming Chairman of East Dorset District Council and Chairman of many sub committees at Dorset County Council.

Although often unwell in later years, Philip dealt with illness and discomfort with his usual stoicism, Elaine monitoring his medical needs with a military precision. That did not stop him making himself useful and in particular running the Library at Grove Place, where he always took care to ensure that no memoirs of the opposition were to be found!

It is very rare for someone in their ninetieth year to have 101 friends present at their funeral and the Celebration that followed. The love people showed for him that day was a wonderful testament to the man we have lost and a huge consolation for Elaine, his sister Ena, who survives him, and for all his family. God bless you, Uncle Philip. Rest in Peace.