11/05/2026
I was saddened to hear of the passing of John Blythe from Golden Days on May 4th.
John was a pillar of the Classic Ford Community for as long as I can remember, I first met him in the mid 90's when I was looking for a grille surround for the Standard Anglia I was building at the time. I drove to Norwich one wet Saturday afternoon to collect the part and that was the start of friendship that lasted up until his passing.
John helped me out with the mintest pair of doors I had ever seen when we were supplying parts for Pimp My Ride, I couldnt believe how good they were, if anything John had undersold them, I was ready to turn around and take them home for my own car.
I'll never forget the 2000E box he had with an overdrive unit at the Classic Ford Show one year, never seen one since and I kick myself everytime I think about it for not buying it.
John and his wife June were regulars at so many of the big shows over the years, the Abindon All Ford Rally, the early Classic Ford Shows, Battlesbridge and the Zephyr Zodiac Meet at Buckingham to name but a few, always had a lovely warm welcome from them on their stand and it was an absolute pleasure to spend time and money with them.
Even though he had been quiet in recent years dealing with illness, I spoke to him and June a couple of times on the phone and he still had that smile in his voice and we spoke about the good old days and how Andy the owner of the Fish & Chip shop on Bromham Road in Bedford remembered him and June as it was a supper stop for them on their way back from shows like Buckingam Zephyr Zodiac Meet and Abingdon All Ford Rallye.
He was a lovely chap, old school and honest in all his dealings, incredibly knowledgeable on all things 50's and 60's Ford.
A great loss to the scene as there are less and less people around with that kind of knowledge these days.
My thoughts are with June and his family at this difficult time.
