Bernard Day was born in Chingford in 1928 and died, aged 92, in February 2021. He attended Bancroft’s School. On a Founder’s Day four or five years ago, Bernard showed some family members around the school and his childhood haunts. One of the local places was the Elizabethan Hunting Lodge in Chingford. Pointing towards the woods, Bernard explained how one day he’d been there for a walk, when suddenly, just above the trees, a German warplane emerged through the mist. On the one hand, it must have been terrifying, but on the other – for a 12-year-old boy, perhaps out with his mates – it must have been exciting too.
On leaving school, Bernard joined the Intelligence Corps in 1946 and was then commissioned into the Royal Artillery. After leaving the army, he studied at the London School of Economics. In 1951, he joined the Civil Service, where his list of posts spanned the Air Ministry, Cabinet Office, Meteorological Office and Ministry of Defence. He was promoted to Under Secretary in 1974 and was made a Companion of the Bath in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 1987, before retiring in 1988. He contributed through numerous voluntary activities during his retirement and will be missed by family and friends.
Keith Day