Maj Tom Eaton OBE TD DL, died on 19 January 2010, aged 91. He was commissioned on 2 December 1936, two days before the abdication of King Edward VII. Tom Eaton was a remarkable man of great character, dedication and drive. He was a Royal Norfolk veteran of World War Two and the war in the Far East. He was captured at Singapore with the 4th Battalion and spent over three years in captivity at the hands of the Japanese. After the war he went on to become one of the youngest Mayors of Norwich and the senior partner of a prestigious law firm in Norwich. He was a founder member and the inspiration behind the creation of the Museum of the Royal Norfolk and Royal Anglian Regiments in Norwich. This museum was a national pioneer of the concept of embedding Regimental museums with the county museum service. Both the Royal Norfolk Regimental Association and The Royal Anglian Regiment have benefited immensely from his wisdom, foresight and commitment. For many years, until 2008, he was President of the 4th Battalion R Norfolk Regiment Comrades Association and chaired the 4th Battalion R Norfolk Regiment Officers’ Dinner Club. The Norwich Cathedral Service of Thanksgiving on 12 February 2010 truly indicated the respect in which he was held. The cathedral was packed to overflowing.

His son, David Eaton, spoke at the Thanksgiving Service: ‘I expect that many of you here today knew my father in his professional life, as a solicitor, alderman and civic leader or maybe from his days in the Royal Norfolk Regiment or as a patron of the library, museum and Theatre Royal. Others of you, may have met him at social events, in the Norfolk Club over lunch, or encountered him whilst striding with purpose down London Street.

‘The Eaton family, or at least part of it, has lived in Norwich for over 200 years. My father continued that tradition, committed wholeheartedly to Norwich and to Norfolk. Indeed, he admitted that if he hadn’t been sent away to school and confronted by the Second World War, then he might not have travelled further in his life than Thetford or King’s Lynn. Instead he became a seasoned, if infrequent, traveller, enjoying French culture and a special relationship, through the 2nd Air Division of the 8th Air Force, with the USA.

‘He was a Stoic, by education, but had an Epicurean spirit for life. Whilst committed to routine, he was a lover of all things indulgent from liqueur chocolates to puddings and extra helpings of Sunday lunch. His wardrobe was full of familiar, tailored-for-life clothes. He was not a man to be swayed by fashion but he was always smart and distinguished. Clothes were replaced only when they wore through. It amused me that this attachment to one style – double breasted suits with turned up trousers – saw him unintentionally become a fashion leader at least twice in his life!

‘A figure of resolute good health, he rarely succumbed to colds or flu. Until he was 86, he was still walking or driving to his office at 3 Upper King Street to check the post, turn on the heating or just to complete some unfinished business.

‘He believed in striving to make better. He was wise, a man of thoughtful and considered advice. He championed causes from pensions to people, from libraries to theatre, from the law to education. Most of all, he demonstrated to us, as children, how to live life to the full. He believed that in times of darkness, good will overcome, that the phoenix will rise from the ashes and that we should strive to do the very best for ourselves and for others.

‘I have a copy of some verses he gave me when I was a young boy, the last two lines of which sum up his spirit:

Life’s battles don’t often go to the stronger or faster man
But sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.’

He is survived by his wife Robin and children David, Kate and Mary.

JR