Sir Fred Pritchard, M

Sir Fred Pritchard, M.B.E. LLD.

1899 - 1983

Fred Pritchard was born in Liverpool in 1899, the son of a Fruit Importer. He was educated at Shrewsbury School and, being 18 in 1918 served in the Royal Marine Artillery for the last few months of the First War.

He was a talented pianist and his happiest experience in the army was acting as an accompanist for Harry Lauder, then a very famous and much loved entertainer. After a concert Harry Lauder joined the men in the Mess and asked if anyone played the piano. He enjoyed his ‘wee dram’ and the more he drank the more he sang.

After the war Fred read law at Liverpool University, and was duly called to the Bar by the Middle Temple. His legal career was interrupted by the Second World War, when he again joined the army and was seconded to the Judge Advocate General’s Department where he became Assistant Judge Advocate General with the rank of Lieut. Colonel and was also appointed MBE.

After this war he resumed his legal career and moved to London with his wife and daughter and took silk. He was an excellent barrister, an accomplished speaker and no-one was surprised when he was appointed a High Court Judge at the early age of 47. It became clear that he possessed judicial quality of an extremely high order and it was thought he would become a Lord of Appeal and even Lord Chief Justice but sadly, a major stroke at the age of 52 ended his judicial career.

He remained paralysed down his left side and for the rest of his life wore a calliper on his leg while his left arm hung useless. With great courage and with the help of his wife, Celia, he rebuilt his life. Fortunately his brain and his speech were unaffected. He was able to do a part-time job as Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, where he took great pride in equipping students from other countries with knowledge of British Justice.

He also served as chairman of several tribunals, became the Chairman of the Governors of his old school, was on the Board of the Church Army and Chairman of the Bar Musical Society. In 1964 he was elected Treasurer of the Middle Temple, and in that capacity entertained the Queen Mother, an honorary Bencher of the Inn, at Grand Dinner. She also attended several Bar Musical Society events, so Sir Fred became well known to her. When he was about to be introduced to her at a Church Army Event, she stopped the speaker by saying “Sir Fred and I are old friends”, a remark he treasured.

He was a devout Christian: His faith underpinned his life. For 32 years he was churchwarden of St. John’s Wood Church. He was a member of the Church Assembly (predecessor of the General Synod) a member of the Legislative Committee and a Church Commissioner.

His had a great gift for friendship, and his friends and his family much enjoyed his sense of humour and wit. One of his friends said “When you entered a room and saw Freddy there, your heart leapt up with pleasure”. He wrote comic verse and parodies, which were much enjoyed at Bar gatherings. Even when seriously ill he was joking. His sister plumped up his pillows and said, “Is that pillow comfortable?” Freddy, with his eyes closed and almost unconscious answered “Ask it”!

In old age his physical infirmities caught up with him and he and his wife moved down to Slindon to be near their daughter and her husband. When he died his funeral was held in this church, and was taken by the former Bishop of Chester, the Right Rev, Gerald Ellison, who had become a friend when he was Bishop of Willesden.