1925 – 2014
Jack Deakin was born on the 18th July 1925 at the Tiverton Foxhound Kennels where his father was First Whipper-In to Sir Ian Heathcot Amory. Jack was the eleventh child out of twelve and with Hunt service being on both sides of the family, it would seemed fairly inevitable this would be where his life would take him. Sure enough it did, not only for him but two of his brothers, Dick who went on to hunt the Essex Union and Jim the South Tetcott. After leaving Devon the family moved to the Cumberland where Jack schooled at Aspatria before being signed up as an eighteen year old, into the Fleet Air Arm. Sailing out on the Queen Mary to New York he then made his way by train via Alabama to Trinidad where he trained as an aircraft mechanic servicing Mustangs. On returning from the War and being demobbed he decided he wanted to become a jockey. This was not however to be the case and almost immediately found himself in Hunt Service, starting as Whipper-In to Jumbo Wilkinson at the South Durham. After a couple of seasons he made his way to the Essex and Suffolk as Second Whip to Chris Parsons and it was then on to his first stint at the Newmarket and Thurlow under Charlie Field. Here he met the future Mrs Deakin and during his time there they married, before moving to the Bicester and Warden Hill where the well known disciplinarian Charlie Johnson was hunting hounds; another man who had the blood of hunt service running thick through his veins! Whilst they were at Stratton Audley Mrs Deakin took to hunting on a bicycle with her terrier Panda accompanying her on many an occasion.
To read more, click here to subscribe or if you are already a subscriber, please log in!