Daughter pays tribute to ‘enthusiastic’ dad who was ‘never without a Chronicle & Echo in his adult life’
A daughter has paid tribute to her “enthusiastic”, born and bred Northampton father, after he sadly passed away, aged 95.
George Twiselton was born in Kingsthorpe and went on to live in Duston for most of his life, where he immersed himself in community life by joining many groups and societies over the years.
His daughter, Valerie Twiselton, recalls the three decades when George was part of a trick cycling group - Higginson Cycle Troupe - which often led Northampton Carnival. When the group initially started, they raised money for the hospital, as it was pre-NHS.
George was part of the cycle troupe from 1943 to 1973. He joined as one of the founding members when he was part of the Scouts, aged just 14. Val and her sister Angela believe their dad was the last surviving, founding member of the troupe.
Val said: “They did a lot of other carnivals too and they went to the Battersea Parade.
“It was a big passion of his, but he had a lot of enthusiasm for other things too, including natural history and reptiles.”
According to his daughters, George used to host talks and evening classes on reptiles. He even made TV appearances with a crocodile and a snake. Val recalls a story her father told her about a time when a snake escaped from its box on live TV, causing the cameraman to scream.
George also had a love for performing. He completed his National Service starting in 1948, where he was a specialist radio operator. He was also part of the Concert Party, where he put on a lot of shows during his time in the RAF.
Career-wise, George went on to become a TV engineer, installing televisions in people’s houses when they first started to become a household item.
Val added: “Ahead of the Queen’s coronation, all of a sudden everybody wanted a TV. He was absolutely running off his feet trying to install TVs for everyone. He said it was a complete nightmare.”
As well as his affiliation to the cycle troupe, George was the leader of Kingsthorpe Youth Group, where he met his wife Emily in the early 1950s. They married a few years later and went on to have their two daughters.
After leaving his television engineer role in the 1970s, George worked as a local government officer for years, before retiring. During their retirement, George and Emily were keen members of the Northampton branch of NASO for many years.
Val continued: “He was full of enthusiasm for things and in his later life he found an enthusiasm for Ancient Egypt. He was a member of the Northampton Ancient Egyptian society for years and he went on several amazing trips.”
Val went on to say that her dad loved to travel and loved walking, as he was very fit from all the cycling he did. He even walked over the Swiss Alps in the 1950s.
Val also remembers that George would always buy the Chronicle & Echo while her and her sister were growing up.
She added: “He always had the paper, everyday. Then we would always get it for him when we did his shopping. He was never without the Chronicle & Echo in his whole adult life.
“He even had press cuttings from when he had things in about his talks.”
George sadly passed away at Northampton General Hospital on November 26, aged 95, leaving behind his wife and his two daughters.