From "Open File", magazine of the UK Armed Forces Chess Association.
"Long time member of the UKAFCA John Glover sadly passed away in December at the great age of 96. Flying Officer John Glover completed National Service with the RAF many decades ago, in an engineering branch. Although he came to chess a little later in life, he was a keen member of the UKAFCA, competing regularly at UKAFCA Championship until well into his 90s, His last appearance was at RAF Wittering in 2023 where he scored a very impressive 4.5/7, good for 18th place out of 83 entrants. An impressive feat for any player, let alone who was at this time aged 93!
John also participated in the 4NCL online for the UKAFCA teams, competing under the handle ’Lowbrow’ as well as for the RAF team in the Perrott Trophy.
As well as chess, John also played plenty of bridge and was a committed amateur astronomer. Whilst in hospital, a study of quasars which he had co-authored was recently published (October 2025) in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association. He had been working on this paper for the last 5 years and it brought a smile to his face to finally see it in print.
John was an intelligent, genteel man who will be missed by all those in the AFCA who had the pleasure of his acquaintance."
John was always good-humoured and placid, a really nice man.
I've made minor edits to the obituary, to explain some of the abbreviations. The Perrott Trophy is a team event featuring, Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence, played online these days.
John Glover 1929-2025
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Kevin Thurlow
- Posts: 6662
- Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm
Re: John Glover 1929-2025
Corrections and more info...
His daughter writes -
"With regard to the tribute in the English Chess Forum I am happy for this to be used, however I should point out one or two inaccuracies. He did actually pass away on the 29th November 2025, as far as I am aware he did his National Service in the RAF as a navigator in 230 Squadron part of Coastal Command, equipped with Sunderland flying boats based at Pembroke Dock and finally his last appearance at the UKAFCA Championship was in 2023 when he was 94 not 93."
Apologies for the errors - Today would have been his 97th birthday.
https://www.leicestershirechess.org/ includes an obituary.
His daughter writes -
"With regard to the tribute in the English Chess Forum I am happy for this to be used, however I should point out one or two inaccuracies. He did actually pass away on the 29th November 2025, as far as I am aware he did his National Service in the RAF as a navigator in 230 Squadron part of Coastal Command, equipped with Sunderland flying boats based at Pembroke Dock and finally his last appearance at the UKAFCA Championship was in 2023 when he was 94 not 93."
Apologies for the errors - Today would have been his 97th birthday.
https://www.leicestershirechess.org/ includes an obituary.
-
Kevin Thurlow
- Posts: 6662
- Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm
Re: John Glover 1929-2025
John wrote his own CV, a wise precaution.
"John Glover was the elder son of Sydney and Elsie Glover being born on the 20th January 1929 in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
His mother and father were keen bridge players and at an early age taught him the game which became a major hobby throughout his life. He was educated at St. Joseph's college where he was a keen rugby player becoming captain of the 1st XV. He sometimes said he was born to be a 'playboy', but, not having the means to support such a life had to work for his living.
In 1947 he enrolled as a chemistry student at Birmingham University, graduating in 1950.
For the next two years he did his National Service as a Navigator in the RAF. His final posting was to 230 Squadron, part of Coastal Command, equipped with Sunderland Flying boats and based at Pembroke Dock.
In 1952 he returned to Birmingham University to do research in chemical engineering. As an RAF Reservist he was allowed to join Birmingham University Air Squadron and trained as a pilot on Chipmunks.
For the next three years he was able to indulge his interest in flying, athletics and rugby, playing rugby for Moseley and being awarded a 'blue' for athletics when he equalled the university record of 10.2 seconds for the 100 yards.
In 1953 he met Veronica Murphy ('Rona') and they married in 1955. Their first child , Martin was born the same year and now needing a job he started work with Shell at their Stanlow refinery. The second child , Penny, was born in 1956. In 1958 Shell moved John to The Hague in Holland to work on chemical plant design and economic evaluation. The third child, Roger, was born in 1958, sadly dying a few months later.
John's last game of rugby was played for Shell in 1961. Sarah was born in 1961 and later that year the family moved back to the UK where he worked on detergent R&D for Shell Chemicals UK, initially in London and living in Harpenden where he bought his first house. David was born in 1962 and in 1963 Shell moved him to Carrington Industrial Chemical Laboratories, near Sale. The following year he was promoted to Senior Chemical Engineer.
In 1965 he accepted the offer of a lectureship in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University by Professor D C Freshwater who had been his bridge partner at Birmingham.
During his time in the Chemical Engineering Department, he successfully tutored seven students for Ph.D degrees, two of whom became professors and Heads of Department — one in Pakistan and the other in the Texas.
In 1967 he formed Loughborough University Bridge Club to which Francis Macabee later incorporated the Students Bridge Club. In its heyday the combined University Bridge Club had three teams in the top divisions of the Leicestershire League. After losing University accommodation the Club declined and dwindled away following the Covid restrictions in 2019.
In the 1970's John was an active member of Liberal Party for about ten years, distributing leaflets, knocking on doors, fund raising and for one General Election in the 1970's acted as the Liberal Agent.
For some years in the 1970's he was a governor of Roseberry Street school and also a member of the Petroleum Industry Training Board.
In 1973 he was one of thirty Leicestershire chess players taking on Anatoly Karpov, a future world chess champion, in a simultaneous event. Subsequently he joined Loughborough chess club where he became Club Secretary and 2 nd team captain many times during the next fifty years. Sailing was a minor hobby and started with two holidays on the Norfolk Broads followed by crewing in the 1951 Royal Ocean Racing Club Channel Race of1951. Subsequent yacht charters covered the South Coast between Christchurch and Poole Harbour, between Plymouth and Fowey and on the East Coast around Harwich Harbour. He qualified as a Day Skipper with the Royal Yachting Association on a course run by the New Parks Sailing Association and which involved a sailing cruise from Hamble to Guernsey and back."
"John Glover was the elder son of Sydney and Elsie Glover being born on the 20th January 1929 in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
His mother and father were keen bridge players and at an early age taught him the game which became a major hobby throughout his life. He was educated at St. Joseph's college where he was a keen rugby player becoming captain of the 1st XV. He sometimes said he was born to be a 'playboy', but, not having the means to support such a life had to work for his living.
In 1947 he enrolled as a chemistry student at Birmingham University, graduating in 1950.
For the next two years he did his National Service as a Navigator in the RAF. His final posting was to 230 Squadron, part of Coastal Command, equipped with Sunderland Flying boats and based at Pembroke Dock.
In 1952 he returned to Birmingham University to do research in chemical engineering. As an RAF Reservist he was allowed to join Birmingham University Air Squadron and trained as a pilot on Chipmunks.
For the next three years he was able to indulge his interest in flying, athletics and rugby, playing rugby for Moseley and being awarded a 'blue' for athletics when he equalled the university record of 10.2 seconds for the 100 yards.
In 1953 he met Veronica Murphy ('Rona') and they married in 1955. Their first child , Martin was born the same year and now needing a job he started work with Shell at their Stanlow refinery. The second child , Penny, was born in 1956. In 1958 Shell moved John to The Hague in Holland to work on chemical plant design and economic evaluation. The third child, Roger, was born in 1958, sadly dying a few months later.
John's last game of rugby was played for Shell in 1961. Sarah was born in 1961 and later that year the family moved back to the UK where he worked on detergent R&D for Shell Chemicals UK, initially in London and living in Harpenden where he bought his first house. David was born in 1962 and in 1963 Shell moved him to Carrington Industrial Chemical Laboratories, near Sale. The following year he was promoted to Senior Chemical Engineer.
In 1965 he accepted the offer of a lectureship in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University by Professor D C Freshwater who had been his bridge partner at Birmingham.
During his time in the Chemical Engineering Department, he successfully tutored seven students for Ph.D degrees, two of whom became professors and Heads of Department — one in Pakistan and the other in the Texas.
In 1967 he formed Loughborough University Bridge Club to which Francis Macabee later incorporated the Students Bridge Club. In its heyday the combined University Bridge Club had three teams in the top divisions of the Leicestershire League. After losing University accommodation the Club declined and dwindled away following the Covid restrictions in 2019.
In the 1970's John was an active member of Liberal Party for about ten years, distributing leaflets, knocking on doors, fund raising and for one General Election in the 1970's acted as the Liberal Agent.
For some years in the 1970's he was a governor of Roseberry Street school and also a member of the Petroleum Industry Training Board.
In 1973 he was one of thirty Leicestershire chess players taking on Anatoly Karpov, a future world chess champion, in a simultaneous event. Subsequently he joined Loughborough chess club where he became Club Secretary and 2 nd team captain many times during the next fifty years. Sailing was a minor hobby and started with two holidays on the Norfolk Broads followed by crewing in the 1951 Royal Ocean Racing Club Channel Race of1951. Subsequent yacht charters covered the South Coast between Christchurch and Poole Harbour, between Plymouth and Fowey and on the East Coast around Harwich Harbour. He qualified as a Day Skipper with the Royal Yachting Association on a course run by the New Parks Sailing Association and which involved a sailing cruise from Hamble to Guernsey and back."