14th August 1940 – 21st March 2000
Nicholas was born on 14th August 1940, to Daphne Kerven Bennett, nee Holiday, and Ernest Claude Bennett (always known as Claude), at a nursing home in Hanger Lane, Ealing.
Nicholas lived in Ealing until he was aged about 9, when the family moved to Thanet. Claude was a surveyor for the Hastings Building Society here. This later became the Hastings and Thanet Building Society. This society then merged with the Anglia and later with the Nationwide Building Society.
The family lived in the Thatched House at the top of Green Road, Cliftonville before moving to a flat in Beresford Court, Cliftonville. His parents then bought Whiteladies, Colemans Stairs Road, Birchington, which was where they were all living when I first met Nicholas in 1962.
When I first met Nicholas, I was invited to dinner at Whiteladies and always remember the lounge suite that they had there. I had never seen chairs like it. I recently rewatched Four Weddings and a Funeral and was amazed to seethe exact same suite in the film. It was not only the same shape but the same color too. I always thought that the chair that Squire sat in looked so uncomfortable. I think it was sold when they moved out ten days before we married in March 1968 when Daphne and Claude moved to a new house in Fig Tree Road, off Callis Court Road, Broadstairs. They called this house Colemans. I took a screen shot of the sofa 
When Nicholas came to Thanet, he went to Wellington House School at Westgate.
I have just found this article about Wellington House: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/canings-and-compulsory-daily-runs—welcome-a104348/
In this article, it talks about having to go out for a bare foot run every morning. Nicholas often used to mention this, and also the fact that the boys, on the first day of term, had to go out to pick birch twigs to make the birch that they might later be caned with. When on our honeymoon, Nicholas got very brown and fine white lines showed up on the top of his legs which he said was where he was caned for not learning his latin verbs!
Nicholas made friends with Richard Palmer at Wellington House and they went on to Kings School together at the age of 14. Nicholas won a scholarship to the school. They were close friends, with Nicholas being Best Man at Richard’s wedding. Sadly, Richard died in a farming accident on 12th August 1974.
Nicholas did well at school, and after taking Scholarship level early, he left and went to Boys and Maughan Solicitors in Margate, to be articled to Garth Roadknight in order to become a solicitor. He qualified easily and worked at Boys & Maughan becoming a fairly senior partner there. However, in 1981, he decided to set up practice on his own and took premises in Chatham. The travel was arduous and so, after two years, he took premises in Sandwich which were part of the NatWest Bank in Market Street. Nicholas had the ground floor room, on the left of the front door, which he used as his reception room. He also had the middle floor, which had five large offices and a kitchen. Originally this had formed part of the bank managers flat.
The firm enlarged and at one point, Nicholas had purchased a property in Cattle Market and taken another in the Butchery, so he had staff in three properties. However, the depression in the 80’s & early 90’s meant that house purchase etc was very poor and solicitors were hit badly, so he moved staff back into Cattle Market above.
Nicholas loved sport and music. He played a lot of tennis, squash and cricket and later some golf. On a Sunday morning he would play tennis at the tennis courts in Birchington with friends, who included John Peddle and Teddy Moylan.
His cricket, he played with a group of friends who formed the Rogues Cricket Club and he was wicket keeper. Thanks to the senior partner at work, Jack Maughan, he became a member of the MCC and often would enjoy a day out at Lords Cricket Ground.
He played squash at the Beresford Hotel in Birchington. The club was thriving and this is how I first met Nicholas. The Squash club were having a dinner dance at the Winter Gardens and I was taken to it by John Martin. John had a cocktail party at his house, Woodgate, in Fig Tree Road in October 1962. John came to pick me up and, as we arrived at his house, he told me that Nicholas and Amanda Bennett had arrived. I chatted to Nicholas for some time and it turned out that we both enjoyed dancing. However it was some weeks later that I saw him again. This time my friend, Joy, & I were standing on the steps of the Winter Gardens waiting for my father to park the car before we went in to a classical concert. Nicholas came up the steps and chatted for a few moments. The next day, I was at work at Shell Research, Sittingbourne, when he rang me up. He had gone to a lot of trouble to find out where I worked and to find out my name so he could ask me out. I said yes, and then regretted it, as I remembered John Martin saying Nicholas and Amanda Bennett. I then had to make some phone calls myself, to find out if he was married to Amanda and was relieved to find she was his sister!
The squash club had to find other premises when the Beresford Hotel closed, and Nicholas was instrumental in obtaining the courts at Stone House School and building a club house there. This was originally a small prefabricated place with just the two old courts of the school but then, in 1976, they extended the club house to its present size with four courts including two glass backed courts. I remember the opening of the new club house very well as it was March 1976 and I was pregnant with Giles and yet helping by cleaning out the new toilets and sweeping up the club house ready for the opening. Mike Taplin, a close friend and who also played a large part in getting the new club, was suffering with leukaemia and yet he managed to make it to the opening the day before he went into hospital the very next day, for the final time.
Nicholas played the piano and formed a group called the Night Owls, with Paul and Tony Girling. Paul played the drums and Tony the guitar. They were also solicitors. The Night Owls were in demand to play at functions such as friends 21st birthdays and squash and rugby club do’s. They were paid £3 each for the evening and all that they wanted to drink!
Nicholas had already become a member of Margate Round Table when we married in 1968. He became the Chairman of Round Table in 1971 and Helen was born two weeks before his Ladies Night. In fact she was born during the Law Society Dinner Dance ( and in the middle of the three weeks of power cuts due to the coal miners strikes) so Nicholas had to take his mother, instead of his wife, to the dance as I was in hospital in labour. He made it to the hospital in time to see his darling daughter born and then back to face all the champagne our friends had bought to celebrate the birth.
Nicholas later became the Area Chairman of Round Table in 1974, involving a great deal of evenings out over the course of 2 to 3 years. He thoroughly enjoyed this and it made a lot of friends for him.
Nicholas had to leave Round Table when he reached the age of 40 but then in 1980 he was asked to start the first evening Rotary Club in this area. He did so and became the Founder President. He enjoyed the club and was overwhelmed when he was made a Paul Harris Fellow by his fellow members.
Nicholas made a lot of speeches, but one of the loveliest speeches that he made was to his mother on the occasion of her 80th birthday. She had about 50 people for dinner at Northdown House in Cliftonville and shortly after making such a lovely speech to his mother, Nicholas died very suddenly. He would have been aged 60 later in the year.
Northdown House, Cliftonville,The night before he died, Nicholas wrote and said Grace at the meeting of his Rotary Club.
This is his Grace:
The advent of Spring is in the air, As we sit down to our Rotary fare. Evenings get longer, whilst nights recede,but still we should think of others in need
So whilst we tuck in to goodies which follow, remember the pictures of faces so hollow, Of those who must wait for their daily bread, and then face up to the long trek ahead
To safety and comfort, medicine and food , all of which things are ours for the taking, To try and serve others should be our mood, as we give thanks to God for our sleeping and waking.
Nicholas Bennett Rotary ClubThanet Monday March 20th 2000
I understand that the Rotary Club still use his grace during their March meeting.