William Diment

It is with great regret that I have to inform you that Bill one of our much appreciated contributors and Laindon resident lost his his fight with Cancer earlier this week. 

Bill was a long standing member of our community who had seen its good and bad times and I together with many others will miss his knowledgable contributions and comments on almost every memory that has been included in the evolution of this website.

Over the years of communications with Bill I have come to consider him a friend and will miss not hearing from him in the future. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family at this sad time. 

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  • Rest in peace Mr Diment; you will never be forgotten.

    By Andrea Ash (nee Pinnell) (21/10/2014)
  • I like many, am saddened by the death of Bill Diment.  I always read with interest his accounts of Laindon past and the many colourful characters he met and wrote about. As many will remember previous to his contributions on this website Bill was a great letter writer with his musings published on a almost weekly basis in both the Laindon Recorder and the Echo newspaper.  He will be sadly missed. Rest in Peace Bill.

    By Paul Gibson (27/09/2014)
  • Hello.  My name is Jill Evins and my dad is Bill Diment, who sadly died 9.9.14. He went very peacefully in his sleep.  Thank you for all the kind comments posted on this site.  It’s nice to know dad lives on in these archives. 

    His funeral arrangements are: Wednesday 8th October at 2pm at Pitsea Crematorium, then the Garden Room at Holiday Inn, Festival Leisure Park, Basildon.  Flowers to Farrers at Billericay High Street or donations to cancer research.  All welcome.

    By Jill Evins (23/09/2014)
  • Very sad news received via an old railway colleagues group. Spent many happy years working with Bill at the Liverpool Street Railway Traffic control office.  I am sure many of his ex colleagues would like to attend his funeral. Does anyone have details ?

    By John Abson (19/09/2014)
  • Hi.   I knew Bill, he lived in Church Road, my mum’s bungalow backed onto his. Lovely man who had such a good memory, so sad to hear the news.  My thoughts go out to his family.  Rest in Peace Bill.  Has anyone got details of his funeral?

    By Keith Nock (19/09/2014)
  • I was very sad to learn that Bill Diment had died.  His vast knowledge and phenomenal memory were invaluable in giving this website a solid backbone of information both broad and detailed.  His contributions will be greatly missed by all of us but thank goodness we have an extensive record of these spread liberally around this website which we can dip into at any time and so he will live on in our hearts.

    By Shakun Banfield (Chowdhary) (17/09/2014)
  • We would like to echo the kind words expressed by Ken, Richard and Alan on the sad news of the death of Bill Diment.

    Although we didn’t get to meet him in person, his contributions to the website had become a regular feature which we are sure were much appreciated and looked forward to by all of us.  We believe he took much pleasure in reading all the articles, stories and memories and he was always amongst the first to comment on new material as it appeared.  Adding extra bits of information such as dates, names and events from his own memory.   He occasionally made apologies for his memory but there was no need, as it was excellent.  The occasional criticisms and personal opinions he expressed brought forth some very interesting discussions and will, we are sure, be greatly missed.

    He saw more changes in his long lifetime than we could probably imagine, including the age of the computer which he obviously mastered, using his skills with effect when the Laindon Archive website was launched.   It is sad to know there will be no further contributions from him but those already recorded on this website are there to be read at our leisure and will, we are sure, continue to bring a smile to our faces.  Rest in Peace Bill, it was a pleasure and honour to have known you.

    Nina and Colin Humphrey

    Note from Nina:  Bill and I were possibly distance cousins.  The maiden name of both our grandmothers who came from north east London was ‘Clements’.  Perhaps one day I might find the connection somewhere in the records.

    By Nina Humphrey(née Burton) (15/09/2014)
  • I too add my tribute to William, who has made a massive contribution to the site in so many ways, educating many of us along the way. Like Alan I was also hoping to meet him in a recent visit to Laindon but was not to be. Condolences to the Diment family.

    also from Oz

    By Eric Pasco (15/09/2014)
  • Gday Ian, that is very sad news indeed. I never knew Bill before this great website of ours but I loved his comments and stories of his and our past. He seemed to know so much about so much of old Laindon and district. Living so far away I never had the chance to talk to him and now never will but I read all his articles and comments with great delight and interest. My heart felt condolences go to his family and I’m sure many friends, R.I.P. Mr Diment you will be sadly missed. Regards to all from Australia.

    By Ken Page (14/09/2014)
  • Very sad news indeed for us regarding Bill Diment. I for one shall miss his contributions and it is upsetting that we have now lost all that untapped Laindon knowledge which will now pass with him. Bill could be very forthright in his views and he was unshakeable if he had a strong opinion about anything. He could be quite mischievous as well at times, knowing when he would prompt a response. One always knew when a topic of conversation was closed and he had good humouredly got his own way. His historic knowledge of cricketing events was always spot on and I was glad to find out through these pages that he was a friend of Mr J J Wilson who was our brilliant and greatly respected headmaster at Laindon Park School. Now, as Ken says we will never get to meet the great man but I for one will not forget him with respect to this website. Perhaps Ian will find out more about Bill and his history and get something put onto the site as a memoir. God bless William Diment, may he rest peacefully. Best wishes and respect from.

    By Richard Haines (14/09/2014)
  • Bill Diment was a great asset to these archives. He had a knowlege of myriad subjects concerning the Laindon area. His memory of events and people, often over a seventy year span, was encyclopedic. Sometimes curmudgeonly, he often had strong views which he expressed well. I had planned a visit to the UK earlier this year (which unfortunately I had to postpone) and had hoped to meet Bill. One sometimes feels that friends are made through the exchanges in these archives with people one has never actually met. I am sure I would have enjoyed a long chat with Bill and would have picked his memory bank on many matters. Unfortunately that meeting will now never take place and I feel the poorer. These archives will miss him. Requiescat in pace Bill Diment.

    By Alan Davies (14/09/2014)

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