Ian was at the school from 1940-1950 and will be sadly missed by his friends, family and all who knew him at the School.

We are conscious that many people from this time at school may not be in contact with us and we would be very grateful if you could pass on this information to those that you know.

As is the usual practice, we would like to place an obituary for him in the next OI Journal and would be very grateful if anyone felt they could come forward to write one. Alternatively, if you know of any stories or memories, please pass them on so we could put them together for the publication. Address any contributions to me through oldipswichians@ipswich.school.

With best wishes

Iain Chesterman
OI Chairman

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Karl Daniels (OI 1944-53)

Very soon after being born in Leicester. Ian moved to Ipswich where he was to spend the rest of his life. Ian’s mother was a member of the well-known and large Catchpole family so Ian had many Catchpole relations

In 1940 Ian went to Ipswich School, a school he loved all is life. He was very keen on sport and played for the Ist XV at rugby and the Ist XI at cricket. He was vice-captain of cricket and the opening bowler finishing top of the averages in 1949.

After school Ian did his national service in the RAF which like many he found a waste of time. He then joined The Royal Exchange Insurance Company. Comparatively small in those days but they then became Guardian Royal Exchange and then AXA with over a thousand employees  -  Ian worked for them for over forty years

Like most young men Ian played the field until in 1960 he met Margaret. His first interest in her was that she had scored for a cricket team in Wales and started to score for the OIs. We all knew that this was it and they were married in 1965. Martin and Helen duly arrived and then came two granddaughters, Jenny and Izzy. Ian loved his family very much.

Ian was a very keen badminton player. He was a founder member of the Corinthian Badminton Club in 1956, the second oldest club in Ipswich and he was both a team player and club secretary. He served on the Ipswich and District League Committee and was League Secretary from 1972 to 2013 for which he was recognised in the Ipswich Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Much later in his life Ian played golf at Seckford Golf Club usually with his great friend Roger Jarrold and I know Ian had wished he had taken up the game much earlier.

When I visited Margaret and Helen I immediately noticed the lovely picture of the Ipswich School cricket field on which Ian played many times. It was through playing for the Old Ipswichians that Ian and I became good friends, often opening the bowling together - Ian uphill!

For many years Ian spearheaded the bowling attack for the OI Cricket Club. He was highly successful and had many fine performances, I did some research recently and I could hardly believe what an outstanding bowler he was.

He took just on a thousand wickets for the OIs. He took a hundred wickets in 1960 alone (funny the year he met Margaret!) and over fifty wickets in each of eleven years.

Ian batted at no11 (there was no no12). You may have seen on TV a batsman asking to change his bat and 12th man comes out with five of his bats to choose one. Well Ian had one bat – it lasted his cricket career as each year he would bring it out and give it another coat of linseed oil – and very heavy his bat became.

He did his spell as captain but he was also team secretary for eighteen years. He organised players for over eight hundred teams and there was never a player short.

Ian was a very loyal supporter of Ipswich Town Football Club – from their days in Third Division South to the Premier League and back down to what is effectively the 3rd Division. Because of a serious back injury he missed seeing the famous FA Cup Final when Ipswich beat Arsenal but he did go to Amsterdam to watch Ipswich the year they won the UEFA cup.

But Ian’s interests were not entirely sport. He was very keen on jazz, particularly Big Bands. He had an encyclopaedic memory for all the musicians and could tell you exactly who was playing in the Ted Heath Band. He saw bands in London and was a frequent visitor to Snape Maltings.

So Ian led a very full life but what of the man?

He was like a rock. He was kind and considerate and had great values. We had many laughs. He was always worth listening to.

He had no time for fashion or clothes so he was not a good customer of his friend David Coe.

He had a great life - a very nice home – a life which was full of good people and great experiences - certainly a life to be celebrated.

There’s a passage in the Pilgrim’s Progress which I think is very relevant when we think about Ian today – a husband, a father a grandfather and a friend of many.

‘When the day he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the riverside into which as he went, he said;

Death where is thy sting?

As he went down deeper he said;

Grave where is thy victory?

So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.

God bless you Ian

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https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/obituaries/tributes-to-ipswich-sportsman-ian-young-8713156

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