Though I never knew John Hooker, I have talked to plenty of people who did, and who remember him with affection and admiration for his talents in so many disciplines and his passion for music, the theatre and early, often quirky, transport.
Born in Westerham in 1904, the eldest son of printer Alfred James Hooker and his wife Alice, John was the grandson of Charles Hooker, the proprietor and founder of Hooker’s Steam Printing Works on the corner of the High Street and Stratton Terrace. Unlike his father and cousins, John did not join the family printing business, being more interested in engineering, electronics, film, the arts and music. He attended Hosey School and by all accounts, did quite well, involving himself in many of the after school activities which he continued to support long after he had begun his working career. His interest in music and performance led him to support and film several of the HOBA holidays and early Gala Whit Mondays. In the late 1920s John joined the ‘Westerham Country Dance Society’, started by Granville and Lucy Deane Streatfeild.
On leaving Hosey boys school, John took an apprenticeship with the General Post Office and went on to become the telephone engineer for Westerham and Biggin Hill. He is seen here, circa 1936, astride a ‘G.P.O. engineering department’ motorcycle combination. The family lived at Merle Cottage in the High Street. John had one younger brother Reginald, who took over the printing works in 1948 when their father Alfred James died. Reg was always known in the firm as ‘Mr. Reg’ and he worked alongside his cousin Arthur, who was always known as ‘Mr. Bob’. John was an inveterate collector of ephemera - film, photographs and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, a huge collection of Hooker Bros. printed work including billboard posters photo-postcards, newspapers and stationary, much of which survives to this day, representing an important chapter of Westerham’s social heritage. Although an expensive hobby at the time, John was a keen and prolific cinematographer and several of his films still exist on 9.5mm, and then later, 16mm. His greatest love was collecting butterflies, and he was said to have a large display collection, though nobody remembers it, or knows where that is now. Working with his younger brother Reg, John lit the Hosey Evening School production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ performed in the W.I. hall in 1934, the first time an amateur production had ever been lit in the town.
Geoff Morris knew John Hooker for the last thirty years of John’s life. “He was very interested in cinematography and had lots of cameras and projectors. He originally worked in 9.5mm and 16mm, but later in ‘standard’ 8mm and ‘super 8’ as well. When he joined the local branch of the Vintage Motorcycle Club, he organised film evenings and showed ‘Betty Boop’ cartoons that he was very fond of. He would give talks on the films and show us how clever they were, with not just the main character moving, but every character in shot moving and doing something. In 1939 John wrote and directed a feature film called ‘Rogues Routed’ which he and Jack Taylor shot with the H.O.B.A. scouts in the sand pits at Covers Farm. John was into anything mechanical, electrical and to do with telecommunications, but was also very interested in the arts, music and theatre. As the chief GPO engineer for the area, he was out in all weathers doing repairs..."
"...I suppose he was slightly eccentric, in a good way, and the whole house was cluttered with collections of paperwork, books, music, theatre posters, wirelesses, clocks, motorbike bits and three lathes - not in the shed, but in the house! It took a long time to sort out his estate because there was so much stuff there. He was always sure he was going to finish restoring his 'special' motorbike, the Hazlewood, but unfortunately died before it was completed. I had often said if he wanted to sell it he should just name his price, so I bought it off his estate in the end, and have now completed the restoration..."
Comments about this page
So pleased to have found this webpage!
Having grown up in Westerham & also having been educated at at Mary’s, Hosey & Churchill schools, I met & knew Mr (John) Hooker for a short time in the late 70’s.
He was a lovely kind man & his house had the most fascinating collection of musical instruments & equipment, some I think very rare. At the time his dining table had the partly restored Hazlewood sitting on it, with various parts sitting about. As I only had a faint interest in motorbikes & had no notion of veteran or vintage machines, it’s rarity passed over my head. I had just started home film making, having inherited an old standard 8 camera but was even more obsessed with music & was beginning to play in bands, so as a result, John’s collection of amps was of great interest.
Eventually my bandmate bought in part exchange with John, the most fantastic sounding “Crocodile skin” Selmer Thunderbird guitar amp. Unfortunately it was stolen some years later & the amps are now highly collectible & of course, expensive! John also had a very rare Vox amp he wouldn’t part with, that we lusted after. He clearly had a good eye for quality items.
I always remember him telling us about the Kent Cobbs, a band I began to think I had imagined, as I had been unable to find anything about them until today! Great to see the photo. I also remember him showing us various instruments, including if I recall correctly, gigantic Melodica like wind instruments, possibly Italian made & nothing like the standard version popular at the time. I have never seen one since.
I expect his family had the most interesting & exhausting time sorting through his collections after his death. In his shed I’m certain he had a fine lathe which I know are incredibly heavy to move. I hope nothing of value went to the tip!
He also told me a story about his family, of one of them contracting Polio, a terrible disease & either he, his sister or his mother constantly massaging the patient, the result being that they were spared the worst ravages of the disease. It could even have been John that had the infection. I believe his sister also lived in the town & my memory insists I knew her, possibly via work somehow, although I may have muddled this up so very many years later!
However, I suspect it was she who put me in touch with John, knowing I was a budding musician, as although I lived only a few doors away, I had no idea who he was or anything about him.
I always regretted not staying in touch with him, or at least visiting on the odd time I went back home. Particularly since I later became interested in vintage motorcycles, a hobby that I discovered, can take over your life, to the extent of taking up racing with both the Vintage & Classic Motorcycle clubs. Not something mum & dad ever imagined one of their kids doing!
Along with a continuing interest in music, I am certain we could have had the most enjoyable conversations.
Very pleased to hear that the Hazlewood Went to a good home.
Rob
Thanks for your memories Rob, and glad you enjoyed the site!
Bill
Add a comment about this page