My father, John Lewis, who has died aged 79 from a heart attack, was an educationist, beer and cider connoisseur, amateur military historian, railway enthusiast and lifelong supporter of the Labour party, for which he stood as a parliamentary candidate in 1997.
Born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, John Olaf was the son of Louise (nee Jorgensen) and Rhys Lewis, who had been evacuated from London during the blitz. John had an idyllic childhood, growing up at Easthampstead Park, Berkshire, a former stately home that became a teacher training college, where his father was a lecturer.
