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Obituary
Obituary for David Gammage
David Gammage was born on 19 January 1926, in Farnham, Surrey. He died on 24 March 2024. For 64 of those 98 years, he was a member of The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) in its various forms. His framed banking certificate sat proudly in his study until the end of his life, and he reached a 50-year membership of the LIBF in 2010.
David was born in the year of the General Strike, which was a tough time for many, including his family. During the Great Depression, David’s father, who had been gassed in the First World War and was an optician, took the family to the west of Ireland to get a job.
When the Second World War began, the family had moved back to England. David was an able student, who particularly enjoyed Latin and French. He left school at 16 in 1942 and moved to London for a job at the Westminster Bank. He joined the Air Training Corps in 1944, aged 18, passed the RAF aircrew selection board and was destined for Bomber Command at a time when life expectancy in the airforce was short.
However, after D-Day, the government’s priority was to increase the army’s manpower, so David volunteered for the infantry, airborne division, towards the end of 1944.
War years
As with many men of his generation, this was a formative experience. He was a long-time supporter of the War Memorials Trust, of the Palestine Veterans Association and a life member of the Parachute Regimental Association, alongside his many other charitable activities. David was demobilised from the army in 1948 and went back to London to pick up his career at Westminster Bank.
A purposeful career
Banking for David was a lifelong interest, a purposeful career and part of a convivial social life. Westminster Bank was where he met his wife of 70 years, Joan. He played football for the Westminster Bank team – one of many sporting interests. He took part in his last competitive event in his 80s, when he did the Ventnor fell racing series.
During his long financial services career, David particularly valued the opportunity to travel and work overseas. Between 1964 and 1973, he was in Jamaica for the Bank of Nova Scotia, before returning with that bank to London.
A life of active commitment
After he retired from his full-time career, he became Secretary of the Foundation for Canadian Studies in the UK and was later awarded the Canadian High Commissioner’s award for his outstanding contribution.
David and Joan had three sons. None of them followed him into banking, although one of his grandchildren is studying for a masters in a finance-related field.
David is survived by Joan, by two sons, Richard and Jon, and by two grandchildren, Cameron and Lauren.
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