Lawrence Albert Mason (13 Nov 1926 - 21 Oct 2025)

In loving memory of Lawrence Albert Mason who sadly passed away on 21st October 2025, aged 98.
Lawrence (Laurie) Albert Mason

13th November 1926 – 21st October 2025

Lawrence, known to the family as Laurie, was born on 13th of November 1926 and joined his sister Kathleen. Their parents were Lawrence Mason and Lavinia Fisher known as Vina. The family lived at Weston near Wem in Shropshire. His mother had worked in the post office there and his father was a chauffeur for the nearby Hawkstone Park Hotel.
When Laurie was two years old his father bought a plot of land at the sale of Buildwas Park Estate in February 1929. He was able to acquire an ex MOD prefabricated building which he erected on the site. They called it the Homestead. Laurie attended Buildwas school and in due course won a place at Coalbrookdale Grammar School. The area is made famous by the world’s first iron bridge and the start of the industrial revolution.
After gaining his higher school certificate he volunteered for war service and was enlisted into the RAF. He trained as a radar engineer and was stationed quite locally at RAF Cosford for a time. By the time he was posted abroad the war in Europe had ended. He was sent to the Middle East and spent time in Palestine and Iraq where he was stationed at RAF Habanyah.
When he was finally demobbed he was sponsored by the Government for further training. His training as a radio engineer had settled his career for life. He gained an ONC at Shrewsbury Technical College and then an HNC at Dudley and became a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. In due course he acquired Chartered Engineer and MIEE status. His first job was at RGD in Bridgenorth Shropshire. They had played a vital role in the development of radar during the war. Like a lot of youth he was attracted to the bright lights of London and joined AC Cossor in Highbury who were making televisions which he tested and checked out. In 1951 he moved to Mullard Radio Valve Company, part of the Philips electrical family, in Mitcham Surrey. He joined the Technical Department on the transmitting side. There he met his wife Wendy who started work in the Technical Department, but on the receiving valve side. She says he spotted her when she attended an interview for the job and from then on she didn't stand a chance! They were married on March 17th 1956 and so sadly have missed their Platinum anniversary by a few months.
They were lucky enough to find a flat in Streatham and commuted to Mitcham from there. Later that year Laurie was transferred to the Test Gear Department which was based on the Waddon industrial estate at the eastern edge of Croydon Airport. Two years later, in August 1958, they ended up buying their first house in Wallington, right on the western edge of the airport. At the time the airport was still flying commercial flights, however due to a lack of space for expansion it closed on the 30th of September 1959. They spent the next nine years in Wallington during which time their son David was born in July 1960 followed by Dawn in May 1963.
In 1967 Laurie got itchy feet and made the move to Plesseys in Swindon and in December the family moved to a bungalow in Blunsdon where they spent the next seven years. During this time he became a keen gardener and joined the local horticultural society, later becoming the secretary. One of his achievements was to secure a visit from the BBC Radio programme Gardeners Question Time. He won many prizes at the annual shows and the judges particularly enjoyed his home-made elderberry wine!
In 1973 Plesseys decided to close the Swindon factory and he was offered a transfer to either Ilford or Beeston. He chose Beeston and started work in the Test Gear Department. Unfortunately, it was a time of a depressed housing market so he had to spend a year in lodgings, travelling home to the family in Blunsdon at the weekends. When the market finally eased, they were able to buy a house in Bramcote and the family were able to move in in November 1974 and have been there ever since.
At the time of the GEC takeover of Plesseys he decided to take early retirement and left Plesseys in 1989. After a few months at home he took a part time job in the medical stores at the Queens Medical Centre where he stayed until full retirement.
During the following years he took up golf, playing regularly with colleagues from his Plessey days. He loved spending time in his greenhouse specialising in large chrysanthemums and dahlias. The garden was large enough to grow a variety of vegetables and he supplied many a delicious meal. He took on the role of Neighbourhood Watch coordinator for the Bramcote Hills area. He served on the Bramcote Hills Community Association committee and held the position of loan equipment organiser. Wendy retired from Nottingham University in 1996 and they were able to enjoy many happy holidays together both at home and abroad until, like so many other people, Covid put an end to their activities.
He had a long, active and healthy life and at the end he was granted his expressed wish to fade away, dying peacefully in his sleep. He will be sadly missed.