Alix Chalmers (27 Jul 1928 - 3 Jul 2021)

Alix was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. She was named after her father Alex, a dentist who died when she was only 12.

At 18, she was one of those invited to a reception at the British High Commission for the 21st Birthday of Princess Elizabeth during the Royal Tour to South Africa on the newly commissioned battleship HMS Vanguard. There she met one of the young Royal Navy officers called Roddy Chalmers; it took him several years to get back to Cape Town to formally propose to her and they were finally married in London in 1954.

In 1956, as their family was growing, they bought a new house in what was then a quiet village called Warblington, near Havant, which was to be their home for the rest of their lives. They chose Havant because it was not too far from the Portsmouth naval base. Convenient for both Roddy during his Naval days and then after his death for Alix when she volunteered, for over 25 years, as a guide at the Mary Rose. She also volunteered for the National Trust at Uppark.

They both enjoyed travel enormously, and Alix continued travelling when a widow, taking many a cruise or flying somewhere new almost every year; she even managed to fly on Concorde. By the time a stroke slowed her down in 2008 she had managed to see a good portion of the world, in addition to many trips back to her beautiful native land.

She had heart issues for many years but she was still able to fend for herself at her home. But with gradually worsening health she died unexpectedly, just shy of her 93rd birthday, at home, in the arms of her daughter-in-law Victoria. She is survived by her sons Peter and Stephen.

She will be missed.