Bert Thomas

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Mick Norris
Posts: 10310
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Bert Thomas

Post by Mick Norris » Sun Aug 06, 2017 9:18 am

I am very sorry to report that Bert Thomas died earlier this week after a battle with cancer

MCF website

Funeral is on Friday August 18 at Altrincham Crematorium, 1 p.m. There is a general invitation to join a celebration of his life.

Flowers and enquiries to Owen Baker, 523 Wilmslow Road, Withington M20 4BA.

Bert stepped in as General Secretary of the Manchester and District Chess Association at the turn of the century, and was elected President in 2000; he served for a record 6 years in total, taking the organisation through the merger with the Greater Manchester County Chess Association, and in the process becoming the first President of the Manchester Chess Federation; he was later General Secretary of the MCF from 2011 to 2015 and remained on MCF Council

I will miss him; Manchester chess would not be the same without his wise counsel and hard work

Bert was a member of Urmston chess club and later instrumental in setting up and (re)forming Sale chess club

Bert was a gentleman, genial and polite, but with an inner determination that made him a formidable negotiator; he used his non-chess skills excellently, and proved the adage that weaker chess players can make brilliant chess administrators

After his retirement, Bert and his wife Jeannie spent a few months a year in Florida, until her ill-health confined them to the UK

Away from chess, Bert had many interests and was involved with the Scout Association; the most historical was that he was present on 6 May 1954 at Oxford's Iffley Road athletics track when Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile
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