John Gough (53-57) died on 23rd March 2023 in Bradenton, Florida, USA aged 83 as the Society was informed by his son Jonathan. He writes:

“John was born in Bombay, India in 1940, where his father was a Lt-Colonel in the Indian Army, and spent the first six years of his life in pre–independence India. Returning to live in Beckenham, Kent in 1946, he went to Clare House Prep School. In 1953 he entered the Nautical College at Pangbourne. At the NCP he was in Macquarie Division and Form V1MN, became Chief Bugler (which allowed him to be the first in the showers each morning), and was a member of the Boxing team for three years in 1954, 1955 and 1956. Even in later life he could recall the visit of HRH Prince Philip to the College in 1953.

At the end of Lent Term 1957, he left the NCP to join the New Zealand Shipping Company. Here he served for four to five years, initially starting out on the cadet training ship Rakaia. Whilst in NZSC he experienced hurricanes, shipped through both the Suez and Panama Canals, sailed around the world several times and helped in the famous recovery of an NZSC ship in mid-Atlantic when one of its engines failed.

In 1961 John left the NZSC and the sea to become a marine reinsurance broker at Lloyd’s of London. This allowed him plenty of additional travel on business, including to communist China, Indonesia, the Caribbean and all Europe.  In particular, he focused on Dutch remove business. His career at Lloyds spanned 40 years until retirement in 2001. During that period he founded Gough and Sheldon having worked before at a number of the larger insurance companies such as CE Heath and Golding Collins. 

He was proud to be at the centre of what he believed to be the leading global industry, as it evolved into the economic titan it is today.  He happily hosted school visits to the old Lloyd’s building, when it was still in existence, and would act as unofficial tour guide and historian.  He subsequently enthused about the then-radical architecture and design of the new Lloyd’s building, no doubt some of his enthusiasm being linked to how close it was to the numerous City haunts that he frequented as deals were done over long lunches or sociable dinners.  He made sure that his London home – the family home was in Woldingham, Surrey – was as close to his treasured River Thames as possible; the balcony of his apartment literally overlooked the water.

Outside the insurance world, he married Annabel in 1966 and the couple had three sons. He also joined the RNR in London and the Lloyds of London (Masonic) Lodge where he rose to Grand Master in 1982. To relax, he played squash and real tennis at Hampton Court, sailed, windsurfed and kayaked. At home he built replica models of iconic ships such as Cutty Sark, HMS Victory and HMS Unicorn. 

In retirement he moved to the USA with his second wife Debbie Shuck and settled in Bradenton, Florida. For many years he was a member the St Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida, one of the oldest yacht clubs in the U.S.A. In Bradenton he began a varied third career as a real-estate investor, as the owner and director of a steel fabricator company, as a business broker for TruForte Business Brokers and as the inspiration behind a company called ‘America Goes Crackers’ that attempted to export the Christmas tradition to the USA.

John also volunteered at numerous organisations including ‘Learn To Ski’ programmes in Pennsylvania which teach many blind and disabled people how to ski. Through his companies he raised funds for the Manasota Boys and Girls Club, the Palmetto Boys and Girls Club building and the Florida Center for Early Childhood. As a volunteer he worked at Mote Marine and the Pelican Man’s Bird Sanctuary. Early morning every Tuesday he got a safety boat ready to assist ‘Luffing Lassies’ who fell into the sea. His last voluntary position was with Meals on Wheels helping to prepare food before volunteers picked it up for delivery.”