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Alan Jones enjoyed a passion for photography all of his life from the age of ten when he was given a Brownie Box Camera. As well as it becoming his abiding hobby, he made it his profession through the Kodak and the Ilford photographic companies and later in his own consultancy endeavours which extended far beyond our shores. He had a long association with The Royal Photographic Society and was elected a Fellow. Much time was spent working for and with the Society, including his efforts in helping to set up the Photographic Museum at Laycock Abbey in Wiltshire. George Alan Jones was born at Ealing, London on May 14th 1917 to Edith Mildred Jones the wife of Cecil Wilfred Jones a bank manager. Early years were spent in Aberdare in South Wales where one can readily imagine the young Alan saw, and probably photographed, much within the valley during those depressed years. He entered at age eleven the Kingswood School at Bath and remained there until going up to Trinity Hall Cambridge in 1936. Cambridge saw him achieve an Honours degree in Chemistry and Physics, graduating in 1939 just as the Second World War was about to begin. On coming down from Cambridge he joined the research laboratories of Kodak Limited at Harrow. His work encompassed high speed photography. This research was essential during the war years where it applied to all three services Army, Navy and Royal Air Force. During this time part of his research was into the emerging field of colour photography. Hostilities ended in 1945 but research continued undiminished. In 1949 he joined Personnel Administration as an Industrial Consultant. In 1955 Alan Jones left Kodak for Ilford Ltd where he was to remain until retirement in 1977. Appointed to the Board of Ilford Ltd in 1960 as Commercial Director he advanced steadily becoming Managing Director in 1971. He became the Deputy Chief Executive in 1974.. Retirement found him working still.... He set up his own consultancy company Technos SA and enjoyed a further six years of the work he loved. Travels took him all over Europe and America. He died suddenly and unexpectedly at Skopje, Yugoslavia on 21st September 1983 whilst helping to set up a faculty of photography at the University there. Alan Jones and his wife, Joan, were married for over forty years. Latterly they lived in Barbican. Having moved there whilst the complex was little more than a few flats in the middle of a vast building site, Alan became very active in residents' problems. He was one of the founders of the Barbican Residents Association and was its second chairman, following Wilfrid Dewhirst. He was active too in the Cripplegate Ward Club and served as Assistant Secretary for some years firstly to Edward (Ted) Cornish OBE and later to Sylvester Crowley JP - the sudden death of this good friend and loyal worker left a gap in the Ward Club that was filled afterwards only with difficulty. His other joy was the family's holiday home at Tenby. Joan, and his children, Jonathan, Tim and Alison all of whom survived him, speak fondly of those happy holidays in Wales.
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