The 120 people who had braved atrocious weather in order to attend the Funeral Service were rewarded by hearing a delightful tribute from David Allan, from which the following extracts, where he expanded on John's many qualities, have been taken:

"He was the quintessential Englishman, shy and retiring, even reticent, yet bold, brave and resourceful. He was both polite and infinitely patient and with a wonderful wry sense of humour which so often ended in that characteristic chuckle. I never saw him lose his temper. His loyalty to his friends and to those causes which he held dear was absolute - he would never let anyone down. Hobbies and his passions and his work were all carried out with tremendously infectious enthusiasm. And all these characteristics were somehow cemented together by his love of conviviality! He liked nothing better than to gather in a pub with his friends, put the day to rest and plan for tomorrow.

John was both a gentleman and a gentle man. It was quite impossible for anyone to dislike him - save the opposition hooker on a wet Saturday afternoon down at O.B.F.C. and even in that case any 'falling out' as it were would soon be put right in the bar.

At Rugby he hooked for the O.B. 1st team, until about 1949 and later became captain of the 2nd XV. He went on to be the driving force in the Birkenhead Horse Show which was held for so many years on the Rugby Club's ground and which helped the Club's finances.

John's interest in the then unfashionable game of squash persuaded seven of his friends to club together to purchase a squash court in Oxton Road whose incumbent proprietor was threatening, somewhat unconvincingly, to turn it into a fish shop .From this was born the Birkenhead Squash Rackets Club which thrived during the boom years of the game and sadly closed a couple of years ago. John was responsible for investing the capital in the club not only to help the profits but also in order to provide an annual beano for those seven people who had put up the money, such was John's sound business sense that in none of those annual events was either the club or the seven disappointed!

But it was John's love of Rugby Football with all its social and convivial implications that touched the lives of so many of us here today. John's enthusiasm for the game and his equal enthusiasm for the social arts which went with it led to the cementing of so many close and enduring friendships.

But always he would come home to his friends and we would continue the evening ritual of conviviality which he loved so much, and from which nothing would stop him. I well remember the time some years ago when he was driving down to the Squash Club for that evening ritual, his eyes were going a bit at the time, and he explained to us that this parked car had jumped out and hit him - so having explained himself to the owner of the now damaged parked car and with his own undrivable he then proceeded to set off at a brisk walk and arrived at the Club only a few minutes later than his normal time.

I was with John at the Birkenhead Constitutional Club (or Toni's Restaurant) on the Friday before he died. We had our usual discussion over a couple of bottles of white wine. It was clear that he wasn't too good, not that he'd let you know that, but he was looking forward to going out for a pub lunch the next day with Pat Tallantire and then on to what he called his little corner store - Sainsbury's at the bottom of the road. Pat remonstrated with him but he insisted on going, using the Sainsbury's trolley like a sort of zimmer. But he was quite exhausted when he got home and Pat said to him "there I told you that you should not have gone". To which he replied "But if I hadn't have gone, how could I have known I shouldn't have gone" That was John.

And so Pell as I stand here today humbly, and yet somehow proudly, with all your friends, I feel privileged to have been a part of your life, so may I raise my glass just one last time to you and say cheers old friend, may God Bless you as I am sure that He will and say on behalf of us all thank you John so much, thank you John."

A floral tribute in red, black and green accompanied the coffin of J. L Pelling at his Funeral Service on 16th October, 1998. Our card bore the following message: "John,You were to us the doyen of the O.B.F.C. and the Squash Club, one of the finest Old Birkonians, a true gentleman, a most loyal servant and a great friend. It was our privilege to have known you and you will be sadly missed by us all.